Remember
by Cherry tiger
Summary: In a volatile world where even his black book holds no power, Hiruma must help Mamori fight and recover her lost memories before he loses her forever. AU. Crossover. HiruMamo. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Fandom:** Eyeshield 21/CLAMP (Mostly Tsubasa Crossover)

**Disclaimers:** I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely Riichiro Inagaki and Yuusuke Murata for Eyeshield 21 and CLAMP for Tsubasa/CCS.

**Summary:** Anezaki Mamori wakes up to realize that she has been thrown into a different world with no memory of who she is or was. With the help of a familiar blonde demon and a mysterious woman, she goes on a journey to discover the truth behind this predicament and regain what she had lost. AU. Crossover (Mostly ES21). HiruMamo.

**Notes:** OMG is this seriously happening... Am I really writing this? Hahaha! I really wanted to push this idea away and work on it, say... next year. But something inspired me to work on it now. I'll explain more at the end of this chapter. Just read the premiere of this fic, first. Enjoy!

**ETA:** I'll put this in the Eyeshield 21 category for now. Once this story is done, I'll put this under crossovers again. Please note that there will be elements of Tsubasa/CCS/Kobato/xxxHolic taking place in this fic, but this will definitely mostly be ES21. Do bear with me on this!

* * *

It's cold here… and dark. Very dark.

_She raises her left hand up and smiles at the silver ring wrapped around her fourth finger. A voice calls to her from behind. "So…"_

_She doesn't look back. But she knows he's right there, grinning. "So…" she replies, unable to hide the smile on her face._

There doesn't seem to be any escape here. Maybe it's better this way. To be stuck here like this…

_"I see you really like that," he says to her._

__

"I like it," she says, "because of what it means." She feels his arms wrap around her waist from behind, and his head gently leaning against her right shoulder.

"And do you know that meaning?" he asks her, his warm breath tickling her ear.

_She closes her eyes, sinking in the sensation that was welling within her. "Yes…" she whispers. "We'll always be…"_

The sensation dies. She's alone. She's had this dream many times. It always ends there. And she would always forget it straight away… Not this time.

This time, the feelings and the memory of that dream lingers. Here, in this darkness, where she seemed to have lost everything, she could now recall a memory she had longed for so long.

And felt it slipping away. She protested, like a child having her toy taken away, and tried hard to hold on to that feeling, to that one moment that assured her she had something…

But it was all gone. The memory, the feelings, the sensations, it was all gone. And she settled back into letting the darkness overwhelm her.

There is nothing here. There is nothing to look forward to anymore. It all means nothing now.

It all means nothing…

…

BANG!

She stirred. Her eyes flew open, but she still couldn't see anything. Was that her imagination? What was that sound? Will the sound disappear and will this memory be taken away again?

BANG!

There it is again! But her body couldn't move, and she still couldn't see anything.

"Hey, you!"

_Me?_ She thought to herself. _Is someone calling me?_

"How long do you intend to be fucking stuck in there?"

_Stuck? I'm… stuck?_

BANG!

Light suddenly filled her eyes. She closed them instantly, reeling from the shock. And then blinked so that she could finally see what was going on.

A boy, tall and lanky, stood before her. Probably 17 or 18. He had bleached blonde hair, elf-like ears with piercings, and he donned a maniacal grin. _Is he grinning at me?_ "Finally found you…" he said, and she noticed his grin changed to a smile for just a brief moment. But she was confused. _Find me...? But… who am I?_

_Who is this boy?_

"How long do you want to keep being in there?"

"Eh…?" she heard herself say. The sensation of actually saying something shocked her a little. How long had she not spoken? Had she only been dreaming this whole time? She tried to move, but realized she still couldn't do so. So she looked down… and gasped.

Her whole body was covered in a thick, black substance that spilled out on the ground around her. She wanted to scream, but her throat felt dry.

"Stay still…" she heard the boy say. She blinked and turned to the boy again, and noticed he was pointing a gun right at her.

"Wait…" she said, but her voice was hoarse. She was terrified. She wasn't sure what's going on. Why was she surrounded by this black slime? Why was a boy pointing a gun at her?

Why was she even here to begin with?

She heard a click and saw the boy aim straight at her, and she felt the urge to cry. This can't be happening… this really can't be happening. Just as she was about to close her eyes, wanting to shut out the madness before her, she noticed his eyes. His green eyes looking straight at her own with so much intensity that she couldn't stop looking back.

BANG!

She yelped, expecting some form of pain. But she felt nothing, and as she looked at her body, she found that her left hand was now free from the black substance. "You haven't answered me yet…" he said, grinning at her. "Don't you want to get out?"

She opened her mouth to answer… but she hesitated. The black substance felt as though it was drawing as much energy out of her as possible, lulling her to close her eyes and ignore the sight before her. Forget everything… it all means nothing.

She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air she had never breathed before. It temporarily gave her enough strength to think. Everything felt muddled in her mind, as everything was blank. But she remembered the feeling of having lost everything… and how she didn't want that anymore.

Surely, she had something worth remembering.

"Help me…" she murmured, looking straight into those green eyes.

His grin grew. He aimed his gun back at her and began to shoot at her left arm, until it was completely free. But the black substance was crawling back unto her skin, threatening to consume her once more. She cried out, pulling her left hand free and reaching out towards the boy…

He grabbed her left hand with both of his hands and began to pull. The substance adamantly held on to her, and as he pulled, she felt all sorts of strange sensations fill her. She could hear someone shouting, calling… screaming… voices filled her head. She could sense a lot of fear, anger… sadness. But with each pull, they began to fade.

Half of her body was free now. Her right hand reached to grab his hands as she, too, tried to pull herself away from the black substance. Slowly, and with a lot of effort, she felt herself slipping free. Then without warning the tight hold on her eased launching her forward and on top of the boy.

Her body felt incredibly weak, but she could still feel. She felt the arms of the boy wrapped protectively around her. It felt warm… and secure. "It's coming," he suddenly whispered urgently. He sat up and sat her gently on the ground. Then he stood up, this time holding two guns, one in each hand, aiming at the black substance that was now spreading and threatening to consume them both.

With each shot he took, the black slime moved back, but it would not retreat. Instead, long black arms appeared, reaching out to the boy, trying to grab him. He dodged, and as she watched, realized he was trying to draw the creature's attention to himself and away from her.

She tried to stand on her feet, but her legs felt shaky. She looked at her surroundings. There was nothing there. No buildings, no walls - Just an endless vast of lights that changed colours and gave off illusions of shapes.

Almost like a dream.

CRASH!

Her head quickly turned to look for the boy and gasped as she saw the creature managed to grab his leg. One of his guns had fallen out of reach, but he still had the other gun, so he shot the arm and managed to get free. But to her horror, she saw the creature grow as though all his resistance was making it even angrier.

_I've got to do something…_ she thought to herself. _I've got to help…_

She looked around her, hoping to find a weapon, but there was really nothing to be found. Urgh, this is useless! She looked at the boy and panicked at the idea of him being stuck the way she was earlier. Lost, with no hope… _I can't let that happen… I can't…_

_Someone… help me…_

"You wish to fight back?"

She blinked and looked around her. Then she saw a silhouette, fading in and out of the background. She got up on shaky feet and walked towards the silhouette. A hand winking in and out of existence stretched toward her, prompting her to do the same. And so she did, with her palm out flat as though expecting something. "This is your dream," the silhouette said. "Thus you must be the one to end this."

And before she could understand the meaning of those words, a sword fell unto her outstretched hand. She fell unto her knees at the sensation, grabbing the hilt of the sword with both hands. She looked up searching for the silhouette, but it had disappeared. Suddenly, she heard a cry and saw that the creature had now grabbed both of the boy's legs.

She got up, hands gripped tightly around the sword. She wasn't sure what prompted her to do so, or what gave her the knowledge to do it, but she rushed forward with the sword at her side. The creature was obviously distracted by the boy that it didn't notice her behind it. She jumped to where she believed the center of the creature was, and stabbed it with the edge of the sword.

There was a loud, agonizing scream that did not sound human. A strong force sent her flying back, rolling, and knocking the sword out of her hands in the process. In less than a second, she was on her back, completely drained… but she felt sure that it was over.

For now.

She tried to get up, but seemed to have lost all control over her body. She couldn't even keep her eyes open. Was she falling again? Back into that place?

She heard footsteps and heavy breathing. It must be the boy… She blinked as she tried to focus on his face now blurring before her, and wanted to say something, anything. Is he hurt? What just happened? Why was this happening? But she couldn't get herself to. Instead, something else was filling her mind. Something like a memory… assuring her.

She felt the boy lift half of her body and draw her close to him. "Your name…" he whispered urgently. "Do you remember your name?"

She couldn't keep her eyes open now. They felt as though they were sealed shut. She was slipping back into darkness, but this time, she wasn't afraid. She could still feel the warmth of his arms. Everything will be all right now. "Mamori…" she whispered, before she finally succumbed. "Anezaki Mamori."

* * *

**Extra Notes:** Don't worry, guys. The first chapter IS meant to go by fast and raise questions. They'll get solved eventually. Also, TL;DR below to how this fic came to be. Feel free to skip and let me know what you think so far!

I know it doesn't seem obvious as this is predominantly an ES21 fic, but this IS a crossover to one of my favourite CLAMP mangas, "Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle". I'll reveal later on who will appear (that person appeared in this first chapter for a moment), but if you know me, I think you'll know who it is. If you've never read Tsubasa before, no worries. You can treat the characters as original characters (though remember, they're not! I don't own them!), I'll explain their roles well enough for them to stand on their own.

I've been playing with this idea for months now, not long after finishing "The Wicked". I had the beginning and the end planned out, but I was really iffy over what goes on in between. That's when the other elements came into play, mainly Tsubasa. Also, did you notice Mamori and Hiruma's weapons? They were inspired by daftken's "Gun Shells and Blades" art (look for it on Deviantart!) which had Mamori weilding a sword and Hiruma with two guns looking really badass. The idea of the two of them being that badass left such an impression on me, that I envision them looking like this whenever they fight (though in my head, their clothes aren't as cool for some reason).

As time went on, I worked on what went in between but wasn't too happy with it. It's a freaking AU fic! You can already sense the OOC moments coming. But the idea wouldn't leave me. And then I got the final push to work on this upon hearing a new song that captured the essence of this fic, and I listened to it repeatedly as I planned and wrote the first chapter. It's My Chemical Romance's new song called "The Only Hope For Me Is You" (go listen to it on YouTube!). Yeah, it's pretty much the theme song for this fic, and as I continue to write the upcoming chapters, you might see why.

I might be a little slow updating this, as I still have other fics to work on... AND I'm planning to join NaNoWriMo this year (yes, I'm so killing myself). But I think I'll finish this somehow cause it's not as long as "The Wicked". And with enough support, I'll definitely see this through. So I hope you enjoyed this (feel free to ask me any questions bugging you about this fic) and do look out for the next chapter! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes:** So I came to the conclusion that I'll widen the crossover to not just ONE work of CLAMP, but a few. Namely Tsubasa/CCS/xxxHolic/Kobato. Again, it isn't important to read the original work as my main focus will be on HiruMamo, so as long as you know ES21, you're set. The rest will be side characters and can stand on their own.

I'm really nervous with the upcoming chapters as I'm worried most of you would be confused with what's going on. If you DO find the scenes and settings confusing, LET ME KNOW. I'll work on writing better and making sure that it all makes sense. But I will let you know when certain things will only be revealed later on, as everything will be revealed gradually.

Anyways, enough ranting, I hope you enjoy this! And as a side note, the song used is from Kobato called "Ashita Kuru Hi". Go look for it on YouTube. The song will play a small role in this chapter and the next.

* * *

The sound of children's laughter fills her ears. Bright, happy colours lit the room she was in, but everything was still a blur to her. She could roughly make out the blackboard, and the piano that stood by the side. She wanted to look at the pictures plastered across the wall, but she could not move. All she could do was watch… and listen…

_Haru ni saku hana (In Spring, a flower blooms)_

_Natsu hirogaru sora yo (Summer opens in the sky)_

_Kokoro no naka ni (Here within my heart)_

_Kizamarete kirameku… (They're engraved and sparkle…)_

That song… is familiar. She used to sing it with someone. No, not with one person, there were many who would sing it with her. What was the song called again… Ah yes… It was…

Mamori stirred, opening her eyes from the deep sleep she was just in. She blinked, her mind felt hazy and she was confused by the sight before her. There was a fire, somewhere in the distance. The light from it flickered as she noticed the boy with the blonde, spiky hair sitting in a distance, his back against what appeared to be a wall while she lay on grass that felt incredibly soft. A jacket was laid on top of her. Whose was it? She couldn't remember if the boy wore one despite everything that had happened earlier.

She let out a tiny gasp, remembering what had happened. As she tried to get up, the boy noticed she was awake and quickly approached her. "Don't rush," he said. "You're not exactly in a good state."

She felt a sting on her left shoulder, but she was sure she could sit up, placing the jacket on her lap. She noticed that she was wearing nothing more than a white cotton shirt and a skirt that seemed vaguely familiar. The boy watched her curiously examining herself with amused eyes.

"What?" she asked, wondering why he was grinning, especially in this strange situation.

"Nothing," he replied. "Just don't push yourself too fucking hard. It's not gonna get us anywhere."

Mamori looked around. It must be night time, for when she looked up the sky was pitch black. It looked nothing like the world she remembered yesterday, where everything felt shapeless, and colours shifted and merged into each other. What had happened yesterday? She looked at the boy, who obviously knew what she was thinking.

"Looks like you have a lot of questions," he said as he sat in front of her. "Can't say I know all the fucking answers though," he shrugged.

"Where are we? What am I doing here?" Mamori bit her lip, trying to restrain herself from asking too many questions. There was so much she wanted to know, but those were the two main questions in her head.

The boy let out a short laugh. "Is that it? Not gonna ask some more?"

Was he... teasing her? Mamori shook her head, unsure if she wanted to respond to the boy's teasing.

"All right," he said, turning serious. "Let's first solve why you're here. Before you passed out, you told me your name. Do you remember what it is?"

"Anezaki Mamori..." she replied, enunciating it slowly.

"Now... what else do you remember about yourself?"

Mamori opened her mouth, ready to answer. But in a second, she realized her mind was completely blank. Other than her name, and having a clear idea of how she looked like, she wasn't sure who she was. She tried her best to recall something, but other than hearing a familiar song just before she woke up, nothing came to mind. "I… don't know," she replied. "Other than my name, I don't know who I am. Or where I came from, where I've been… and how I ended up in this strange place."

He was looking at her strangely now, which confused Mamori all the more. Was that... sadness? Anger? Before she could ask him what was wrong, he spoke first. "That's why you're here," he said. "You seem to have lost all memory of who you are. Well, at least you've regained one part of your identity," he grinned.

Her identity? In fact, that was true... before she was 'saved', she didn't have a clue of who she was, not even her name. "How...?" she murmured. She lingered for a moment, wondering if the boy didn't like to be distracted with more questions, but he looked at her with his grin still plastered on his face, urging her on. "I mean..." she continued."Before you came, I had no idea who I was. I didn't know anything, other than this feeling of hopelessness. So how can I suddenly remember my name? And yet still not know everything about myself?"

"Good question!" he cackled. "The answer's linked to why you're here. And to answer that, I need to ask you more questions." He leaned back, arms supporting him. "Look around you and tell me what you think this place is."

Mamori frowned, not liking the fact that the boy had to ask her more questions to figure out what was going on. But as she looked around her, she felt a strange shift beneath the ground she was sitting on. She looked at the wall the boy was leaning on earlier, and realized that the wall was actually a part of a bridge. And only after that did she realize there was a river nearby, as she could now hear the sound of rippling water going downstream. She tried to look further, but all she could see were silhouettes of houses and buildings, illuminated by dots of lights. Why she hadn't noticed all this upon waking up confused her.

Then she felt the ground shift again, and the silhouettes of the buildings looked like they were moving, changing. It was then that she remembered what she thought after escaping that black substance that held her prisoner.

"Is this a dream?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"What makes you say that?" he asked in return, though his grin grew wider, sharp pointy teeth more visible.

"Well…," she said, her eyes still wandering, taking in their surroundings. "I don't remember seeing all this before I passed out. And everything feels…" With her right fist, she clenched at the grass beneath her. "Everything feels unstable. As though it could all dissolve or disappear if I just blink. Like… a dream."

"Good," he said. "I'm glad I don't have to convince you on that one. You're right. This is a dream. To be a little more precise, this is your dream."

"My dream?" asked Mamori, confused. "How is this, my dream?"

"Well, since you said everything felt unstable," he said, looking at the silhouette of the buildings. "Did you notice the river earlier?"

She shook her head. "No, I saw the bridge first and then…" she stopped her train of thought, looking at the river with renewed wonder. Of course, she saw the bridge and automatically assumed there was a river. If there was a bridge over a river, there must be a town nearby… "So right now… I'm dreaming?"

"Yes and no," he frowned, trying to find the right words to explain. "Right now, you're conscious but in a world that's being influenced by your dreams and subconscious."

"Influenced by me?" she asked. "How is this possible?"

"Because you lost your memories and this is the only way to get them," he replied. "Something is stopping you from regaining your memories, something that can only be found if you're here in this world that is linked to you."

"So... when I passed out just now...?"

"You revert back to your deepest subconscious, which also helps shape how this world will look once you get up," he explained, looking a little nervous now. "But you'll always return to this world, because..."

Mamori blinked, noting the light crack in this boy's voice. "Is... something wrong with me? Is that why I can't go back to my real world?"

The boy seemed to have noticed Mamori's concern. He looked back at her, grin confidently back in place now. "That's what we're here to find out." He stood, picking up the jacket which Mamori now confirmed was his, as he looked at the building silhouettes. "For now, I think we have to keep moving."

"Moving?" Mamori uttered, getting on her knees and trying to get up. She stumbled a little, causing the boy to reach out and grab her left hand, careful to note that her left shoulder still hurt. "Thank—" she stopped, looking up at the boy. She followed his intense gaze to her left hand, wondering if she'd injured it, her hand still gripped in his. But she saw nothing wrong with her hand.

There was nothing on it at all.

He let her go, turning away and grinning as though nothing had happened. Mamori was now beginning to wonder if this boy was hiding something behind that grin. Everything about him seemed odd. She'd decided that she might as well ask him about it when he suddenly spoke up.

"Notice anything strange?" he asked.

She wasn't sure what he meant by that. This whole world was strange to begin with. She looked around, but other than the scene by the bridge with the fire and river, and the silhouette of the buildings in the distance, there was nothing else to note.

It was then that she felt a strange presence coming from one of the paths that seemed to lead nowhere. It was just… dark. But the more she focused on that particular darkness; the sense of something being there grew. And she felt drawn to it somehow. Without realizing it, she took a few steps in that direction.

The boy noticed this. "So you feel something coming from there, huh?" He walked before her, heading straight in that direction. "Well then, we better head that way. You better pick up your sword."

"My sword?" Mamori looked at the fire not far from her, and noticed the sword gleaming from the fire's light. She hadn't taken a good look at the sword when she'd first gotten it, but now that she could, she realized how simple, yet oddly strong the sword seemed. Even though she had no memory of her past, it seemed odd that her weapon of choice for a fight would be a sword.

Fight…?

"Wait, are we going to fight?" Mamori cried, running after the boy. But he kept moving forward, widening the gap between them. "Hey!"

"Ah?" he replied, not bothering to look at her as she chased after him. "What did you just say?"

"I said! Are we going to…?" Her words were left hanging as she looked around. The scenery was changing before them. A twisted form appeared and soon began to take shape… Mamori watched in awe and confusion as the mass soon settled into a house. It looked like any other house, simple and homey, and the lights seem to be on inside. But the fact that it appeared right before them startled Mamori. "W-what?" she stuttered. "H-how…? Are we supposed to…?"

The boy shushed her. Mamori had to stop herself from yelling at him out of frustration. There were still too many unanswered questions, and she wasn't even sure what's going on right now. Besides, who is this boy anyways? What gave him the right to order her around?

But before she could say anything, a cold wind blew from inside the house and swept over them both. She could hear the sound of creaking coming from inside of the house. She shivered in response.

Then she heard a click and saw that the boy had one of his guns out already. Without tearing his eyes away from the house, he murmured, "Get ready."

Mamori swallowed dryly, feeling more confused than ever. "For what?" she asked, but the answer came faster than she thought. In an instant, the windows of the house flew open, and glass shattered in all directions. A loud, tortured scream that sounded female echoed throughout the house and the lights within it flickered.

Mamori stood her ground, trying to figure out what was going on. The image of this house appearing out of nowhere and then suddenly going berserk seemed too surreal. And who was screaming? _This can't be happening… This can't be real…_

But she snapped out of her thoughts instantly when the screaming stopped. The house seemed calm for a moment. But Mamori gasped in horror when she caught sight of what appeared to be a ghost of a woman with hollow eyes, from the doorway, looking straight at her.

Neither Mamori nor the boy remembered to breathe, while the ghost remained still. Then in a split second, the ghosts black hollow eyes turned red, and it screamed as it flew straight towards Mamori.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes:** Writer "Elis" (my beta and best friend) kept bugging me to finish this chapter more than my other fic, so I complied and thus this was done faster this week. So yeah, you can blame her for this being up early, or thank her. XD Whichever you prefer.

A somewhat long chapter ahead. Updates may be slow sometime soon as I want to focus on NaNoWriMo. But I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Mamori was sure that even though parts of her memories were missing, she was certain she regained most of her emotions. Yet none surfaced as she watched the ghost-like woman zoom forward, eyes fire red, mouth wide in a frozen scream with her arms outstretched, ready to grab her.

The only thing she saw after that was the boy's back, a dark silhouette against the already dim light, arms outstretched and shooting at the ghost. Mamori watched as bullets pierced through the ghost and left huge gaping holes in its head and heart. The ghost paused for a moment, and it took Mamori a split second to realize that the ghost was recovering as the holes began to disappear.

The boy grabbed Mamori's hand dragging her into the house. "What was that?" Mamori cried as they ran. Shattered glass, upturned furniture and broken decorations were scattered across the floor. Only a few lamps remain untouched on the table, casting their dim glow.

They were in the hall when all of a sudden, the boy let go of Mamori's hand and turned towards the door, arms outstretched, guns locked and loaded. Mamori looked back in surprise. "It will come back," he said, his voice came out in a low growl. "My guns are fucking useless in this world."

"What should we do?" she asked quickly, as she looked out the window for the ghost. It seemed to have disappeared.

"There's nothing I can do," he said, grinning at her. "You, on the other hand, can fix this."

"What?" cried Mamori, but was cut off as the ghost began to scream. It was regaining itself fast.

"This world is created by you, remember?" The boy's eyes were now staring directly at the door, where they both knew at any moment, the ghost would appear. "I'll stall that thing for a moment. You look for the source and destroy it."

"The source… what—" The sound of gunshots filled the air as the boy began to shoot at the oncoming spectre. Frustrated as she was, Mamori knew she wasn't getting anymore information from the boy. As the ghost stood still, regenerating itself faster than before, Mamori ran past it and up the stairs, hoping to find some sort of clue as to what the source might be.

_If this world is influenced by me, I should be able to find out what's causing this…_ Mamori told herself. As she got to the top, she spotted three rooms along the narrow walkway. Deciding that the source must be in one of the rooms, she ran into one, hoping to find some sort of lead or a clue.

The first one she went into looked like the main bedroom. Just like downstairs, everything was overturned or broken in this room. The mattress of the bed looked near ripped apart with crumpled sheets and covers piled all over it. It was dark, and Mamori wondered if she should look for a switch. She wasn't sure if what she was looking for would be in here, but she had to try.

She found the switch but the lights would not work. She could hear the gunshots coming closer, and the occasional scream. The ghost must know that she was here and the boy must be having a hard time stalling. _Should I keep looking here?_ In her panic, Mamori fell to the ground, looking for something that could be a clue to what she was looking for.

"It won't be here…"

Mamori blinked. That voice was familiar. She looked around and saw the dark silhouette of what appeared to be a woman with short hair looking at her from the window. "You…" said Mamori. "You were the one who gave me this sword…?"

The woman did not reply. Instead, she merely pointed to the left and said, "Do not be consumed by fear. What you're looking for is close, as long as you have faith in yourself." And with that, the woman vanished right before Mamori's eyes.

Mamori took a few deep breaths. Her mind was whirring with thoughts, trying to understand what was going on, why this was happening. The gunshots were getting closer now, and she heard the boy curse. But try as she might, she couldn't stop herself from trembling, from being so scared of what was going on, and wanting so badly to escape and end it all. She felt the shadows in the room closing in, ready to take her in once more to that place. Then one simple thought crossed her mind…

_I wish I was home._

Mamori held on to that thought. Home, she repeated to herself. She looked around the bedroom, then ran out of it, the shadows remaining within. Mamori opened the next room, which she felt sure the woman earlier was directing her to, and was shocked at the sight before her.

This room was well lit… and in order. Books were neatly arranged on a shelf, and not thrown all over the place. There were pictures and posters of sceneries hanging on the wall. But Mamori felt sure that something was missing in each picture. She looked at the desk, where every pen, every notebook, even the mini light stand stood in their place, with no sign of being touched. And next to the light was a teddy bear, a light brown one with beady eyes smiling gently at her.

The moment she laid her eyes on it, she felt something warm spread within her chest. It was akin to that feeling she had after defeating that black creature before… but could it be the source? How could it be when the feeling she was getting was more of comfort than a source of that evil looking ghost?

That tiny moment of doubt caused her to forget what was going on. Before she could react, she heard the boy shout out at her to watch out, and the next thing she knew, she was pushed up against the cupboard in the room, the ghost's screams filling her ears.

The shock of having been roughly pushed against the cupboard caused her to lose her breath for a moment. She looked up and couldn't tear her gaze away from the ghost's bloodied eyes as it held on to Mamori's shoulder, squeezing it tightly. The sensation of pain caused Mamori to snap out of her dazed thoughts, and she struggled to free herself from the ghost's grip.

Wincing, she clenched her fist around what would have been the hilt of her sword only to realize she'd dropped it just out of reach. The ghost sounded pitiful from this distance, almost as if it was crying out for something. But a flash of darkness appeared before Mamori's eyes, and the feeling of despair crept in. It felt as though it would mark the end. Slowly, she felt herself being consumed by darkness. This is it… She had lost… If only she had been quicker…

"Close your eyes!" she heard the boy cry over the screaming voice.

"Eh?" she instinctively replied. She couldn't see the boy, but she could hear the familiar click, and instantly closed her eyes.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Mamori felt herself slide to the floor. Her shoulders seared painfully, and she blinked, trying to shake all those dark, dreary feelings away from her. The ghost remained still, its form bullet riddled but recovering quickly. "You fucking idiot!"

Mamori gasped a little as she looked up at the boy, gun still held up at the ghost. "Don't you dare let yourself go like that! I'm here! So focus on getting the fucking job done!"

His words seem to cut deep within her, as she let out a dry sob. She was now feeling another sensation she remembered having long ago, long before any of this happened. If she had to put it into words, the only word that came to mind was…

Hope.

She got to her feet once more and ran to pick up her sword. The moment she did, the ghost screamed behind her and headed towards Mamori. Without looking back, she grabbed the teddy bear off the desk, threw it up into the air, lifted the sword and slashed the bear in half as it fell.

And then everything fell silent.

For a split second, Mamori thought nothing had happened. But she realized the screaming had stopped and despite her clenched muscles, bracing for another attack, none came. She relaxed and looked away from the torn teddy bear on the ground. Then she let out a gasp of surprise upon seeing the scenery had changed, and she was back at the bridge where she and the boy had been. But it was dusk now, for she could see the sun setting in the distance. She heard sobbing coming from underneath the bridge, and was about to look for the source when she saw a woman with long hair, the same colour as hers, run straight towards the bridge.

"Mamori! Mamori!" she heard the woman cry. Mamori's heart beat quickened for a moment, wondering if this person knew her, but the woman ran straight past her as though she was invisible.

Mamori watched in wonder as she saw the woman run straight under the bridge and heard her let out a sigh of relief. "There you are!"

Mamori quickly approached the bridge to see what the woman was looking at. And to her surprise, there was a little girl, probably around 4-5, sitting under the bridge and crying. The woman held on to the little girl. "Oh, Mamori, you had me so worried! Sena's mother told me that you ran away from school! And one of the old ladies who walked past said she heard someone crying here! Thank goodness I found you but please don't do that again!" The woman noticed that the little girl was still crying loudly as if in pain. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

The little girl hiccupped and tried to swallow her sobs. "M-mom! He-he called m-me a bully!"

"Who did?" asked the worried mother.

"T-that boy! He-he was pushing little S-Sena around and s-so I… I… hit him! And h-he started crying and said… he said I was a bully!" The little girl began to cry louder. "And everyone in school started ch-chanting! T-that I w-was a b-b-bully!"

"Mamori…" the mother frowned. "You know yourself you're not a bully. You were only protecting Sena."

Sena…? Mamori tried to recall if she knew who this boy, Sena, was. But nothing came to mind.

"B-b-but the other kids! They agreed with him!" The girl held on to her mother's arm, crying on to it.

The mother smiled gently, part amused part touched, and hugged the little girl. "Mamori, those kids can say whatever they want as long as you know that isn't true. I don't agree with you hitting the boy, but I know you, and I know you would do anything to protect the people that you care about. Just as your name suggests."

Mamori watched in awe at the scene before her. What's going on? That little girl was… her? And that woman… is she…?

"But how can I protect Sena if I can't hit them?" the little girl looked up to her mother, her eyes still filled with tears though her sobs were now quiet.

The mother wiped the little girl's tears away from her face. "There are many ways to protect someone other than brute force. You can tell an adult, or remind them that there are rules, and according to the rules you cannot bully others."

The little girl thought for a moment. Then said, "So if I tell them the rules and they don't listen, then can I hit them?"

The mother laughed as she held the little girl's face by her chin and made the little girl look straight at her. "I think regardless of what I tell you, you would still hit them especially if they really do hurt Sena. You're way too protective. But remember, there will be those who won't like you for it."

The little girl pouted, as though she was thinking deeply. Then she looked up to her mother and said, "But as long as you, dad and Sena are safe, that's all that matters!"

Mamori watched as the mother gave a big smile that seemed vaguely familiar to her. She watched as the mother hugged the little girl once more and said, "That's right, as long as the people you love are safe. One day, you will surely find more people to love and protect, and when that day comes you have to be really strong for them. Being strong won't be easy, Mamori, but as long as you have these people in your life supporting you, and you know who you are, well…" The mother let go of the little girl and stood up, holding on to her hand. "You can pretty much move mountains."

The little girl looked at her mother with awe. "Move… mountains?"

"It's an expression, Mamori. It means that you can even do the impossible." The mother then urged her daughter to walk, and soon they were both back on the path heading home, passing Mamori without even glancing back. Mamori followed them slowly.

"The impossible…" said the little girl. "Like singing?"

The mother looked at the little girl in surprise. "Singing? I thought you sang well, Mamori?"

"No, I don't," the little girl frowned. "The boys were teasing me when I sang in class today. They say I sound like a duck! And that singing is impossible for me!"

The mother shook her head. "Well, why don't you try singing to me a little? There's a song you're singing in school now, right? I hear you humming in your room sometimes."

The little girl nodded but she looked worried. "But I'm… not very good…"

"Nonsense!" laughed the mother. "Here, how about I sing with you… Now how does the song go…? _Aki wa…_?" The mother sang off key.

"No! Not like that!" laughed the little girl. "Like this!"

And Mamori watched as the little girl raised her head up to the orange sky, and sang her little heart out. It was pitchy, and some notes were off key, but the girl kept singing happily, holding on to her mother's hand and enjoying the moment.

_Aki wa mizube ni__ (Fall is by the waterside)_

_Fuyu kozue ni hisomu (Winter hides between the treetops)_

_Sekai no oku no (Somewhere deep within this world)_

_Kagirinai yasashisa (Lies limitless amounts of kindness)_

_Yoru ga kuru tabi (On this journey when night comes)_

_Inori wo sasageyou (Let's offer a prayer)_

_Ashita kuru hi wo (That on the day tomorrow comes)_

_Shizuka ni mukaeyou… (We will peacefully greet it…)_

They both walked on as Mamori stopped on her tracks. She vaguely remembered this song, and it brought a certain ache in her heart to hear it. But she listened on as the mother joined in the little girl's singing, both were pitchy and couldn't reach the high notes well. Yet they sang with big smiles on their faces.

_Watashi wo michibiku__ (Please lead me)_

_Tooi tooi yobigoe yo (Oh voice calling from far, far away)_

_Hohoemu you ni (Just like a smile)_

_Utau you ni (Just like a song)_

_Hibiku kaze no oto (The sounds of the wind echoes)_

_Yorokobi kanashimi (Happiness and sadness)_

_Subete idaite aruiteru (I'll embrace it all and keep walking)_

_Watashi no te to (With my hand)_

_Kimi no te wo (And yours)_

_Tsuyoku tsunagu mono… (Linked strongly together…)_

The scene became blurry before Mamori's eyes, as she watched the mother and the little girl walk further away. It took a while for her to realize that the reason why was because her eyes were full of tears. She felt them roll down her cheek, like a stream that wouldn't end. Then she felt a presence behind her and turned around.

The scenery had changed once more. But this time, all she could see was the ghost, whose face was now changing. What was once scary and threatening had now turned into a kind, gentle face. One that she now recognized.

It was her mother.

The ghost finally took full form of her mother, and Mamori watched as her mother opened her eyes and looked straight at her. Her mother reached out her hand to wipe Mamori's tears away, but her hand could not touch Mamori. They were translucent, and could do nothing.

"Mom…" Mamori whispered.

Her mother smiled sadly, holding back her own tears. "Please…"

Mamori gasped as she watched her mother fade away. "Mom, no!"

"Please…" her mother carried on as she continued to fade, hands outstretched towards Mamori. "Come back to us!"

Mamori felt her heart stop for a short moment upon hearing those words. She reached out to grab her mother's hand, but merely grabbed at thin air. "Wait, Mom!"

"Come back…!" Her mother cried out one last time before finally disappearing, and Mamori returned to that room which she now recognized was hers.

She fell on her knees and was about to fall forward, but long, lanky arms grabbed her before she could reach the floor. "Gotcha!" he said gleefully as he carefully lay her down.

Mamori could now feel that warm, assuring feeling within her again, though she also began to feel lethargic. "I… saw my mother…" she smiled, tears still dripping down her face.

"Ah…" the boy replied. She couldn't see his expression as she felt herself drift back into sleep.

"I saw her talk… to me when I was still a child," she smiled in spite of her pouring tears. "She said that I'll be strong… as long as I have the people I love supporting me… I'll be all right…" Her head felt heavy and she knew she wouldn't be able to stay awake in this world any longer. But before she could let that happen, she must know something.

"Thank you… for helping me just now…" she said, her eyes now unable to stay open. "I don't know your name though…"

There was a silence and for a moment Mamori thought she had finally fallen asleep. But then she heard a distant voice say, "Hiruma." With a smile, Mamori allowed herself to drift off.

Hiruma held on to Mamori for a moment, and watched as his surroundings began to disappear. "And so it begins…" he heard a voice say.

Hiruma looked up to find a woman in a yellow Chinese-style dress standing before him, with short honey brown hair. Her emerald eyes glimmered in amusement.

"I told you, didn't I?" said Hiruma, grinning.

"Oh, I believed you," said the woman. "But there's still a lot more to face…"

"Keh, don't look down on me or this girl, Fucking Magician."

The woman pouted childishly, but she couldn't hide the small smile at the corner of her lips. "I told you to call me Sakura… but ah well. It seems you prefer giving pet names to everyone, even if I don't approve of the language. Young people these days…"

"Keep talking like that and you pretty much sound like an old woman," he cackled. "Or would you prefer I call you a Witch?"

"I do not wish to be mistaken with someone else," explained Sakura. "I'm not a witch, just someone with magical abilities."

"And that's why you're a Fucking Magician."

Sakura shook her head but smiled. Then she looked at the fading surroundings that were now nothing but shifting colours. "I'll do my best to help the two of you as much as I can. But I cannot assure that you will succeed in the trials ahead."

"We will succeed," said Hiruma, looking at Sakura seriously as he held on to Mamori tightly. "I believe in her. She will come back."

Sakura smiled softly at him. "Very well. You know what to do." And leaving the two of them behind, Sakura disappeared.

* * *

**Extra Notes:** Fun fact time! Feel free to skip. ^^

If you've forgotten, the song little Mamori sings is Ashita Kuru Hi from the anime Kobato (Youtube it guys, tis possible). I had intended to use another song, as realistically this song is impossible to sing. XD But I was smitten by the lyrics which I thought suited the situation well. So I kept it. I hope you understood the lyrics well enough to see why and not focus too much on the fact that it's way too high pitched. ^^;;;

Hiruma calling Sakura a "magician" is weird, I know. But in my mind (that tends to hear their conversations in Japanese), Hiruma actually calls her a "magic user" or "mahou tsukai". He then says "witch" which is "majou" in Japanese that refers more to the female side of magic user (though you still have the image of an evil witch). There's a reason why Sakura denies this title, which I'm still contemplating on whether I should reveal as it's related to xxxHolic. But ah well, I'll figure it out as the time comes. For now, Hiruma calls her a "magician", which is off in general, but it makes sense in what Sakura does (in Hiruma's eyes, at least).

For those of you who're curious as to how Sakura looks like, I would recommend glancing through Chapters 223 and 224 of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. I'm using the older version of the Sakura (from CCS/Tsubasa) that you see around. There's a reason why I'm using this version of Sakura, and it will be cleared out once I reach the last quarter of this fic. So do look out for it.

Hope that helps. Till my next update!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes:** So I brought the rating down to T because as I looked at the kind of violence I intend to write they're not that violent after all. Mostly because I look at today's media and well, the elements I intend to put in this fic is not new. Disturbing at some points, yes, but not new. And if most young people can take it, then my fic isn't as "bad" as I thought it was. So yes, the rating has gone down.

Back to the story, I'm sorry for the delay. As mentioned before, NaNoWriMo and the hectic insanity of December kept me from writing. This chapter/story arc was, again, longer than I expected and just like the previous arc, is separated into two. So a lot of explanations are going on in here before we head on to Mamori/Hiruma actually DOING something. I intend to write the next chapter soon enough. Until then, enjoy!

Much love to Elis for editing!

* * *

Two figures stood on either side of Mamori. Instinctively, she turned to see who they were but her body wouldn't move, and all she could see from the narrow view her glancing eyes allowed her were mere dark silhouettes. Just like in every other dream she'd had.

"I can't believe it's happening…" says the girl on her left.

"Who would have thought, right?" the other girl said. "Do you remember when we tried to stop her from ever seeing him again?"

"Well, he never really did leave a good impression on us from afar…"

"You know, Mamori, you could have saved us all the trouble if you just told us a little more about what you two do most of the time."

"It must have been very romantic! Oh, tell me it was, Mamori!"

Mamori felt the urge to laugh, grasping at words forming in her head, ready to explain whatever misunderstanding that seemed to be happening. But the words never came, and the two figures slowly dissolved into the background…

Then she found herself awake. Or that's what it felt like anyway as everything felt less fuzzy and much clearer. Feeling a lot more conscious, she opened her eyes to an orange yellow sky. She could feel a light breeze passing through as she breathed in the warm air.

Drawing from the limited vault of her memory, she knew she wasn't exactly awake, and neither was this reality. This should have depressed her, or at least bothered her. But at the moment she was just glad to have regained the ability to sense and feel. No longer was she trapped in that darkness that threatened to consume her. She was free, and she would surely find her way back.

"I see you're awake."

The familiar voice prompted Mamori to look away from the sky and into the green eyes of a blonde haired boy, who exuded confidence. He wore the same grin she had seen him use many, many times since she first laid eyes on him. She now wondered if that grin was a mask to hide what he was really feeling.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten who I am now," he said to her, almost cackling. "That'd be a step backwards, and that'd be a fucking waste."

"Hiruma," she felt herself say instantly. For a moment, she wondered how she knew his name, and then the memory of her asking for his name before passing out slowly surfaced. She sat up and saw that she had been lying on the grass near a road. One look behind her told her they were at the edge of a playground, and Hiruma was sitting with his back against a tree, just a short distance from her. Her sword lay harmlessly next to her, winking slyly in the sun. "Where are we?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Hiruma cackled. "I have no idea myself," he answered, looking around the playground. Again, Mamori the thought that he must be lying occurred to her. But she had no proof, and she didn't think she had the right to say otherwise. "You know, if you keep waking up and asking that, we're just going to waste a fuck load of time."

"Right…" Mamori replied, nodding as she rubbed her temples. "Of course, this isn't reality… this is actually a dream…"

"That's right," Hiruma nodded. "And you know why you're here, right?"

Mamori slowly nodded as she answered, "To find out what really happened to me and get my memories back."

"Good," said Hiruma as he got up, dusting his worn out jeans. Mamori noticed that he had gun holsters to hold the guns she had seen him use many times since she first saw him. His jacket was, once more on Mamori's lap. She guessed he must have put it on her as she slept. "Let's get going then."

Mamori stood up, slightly shaky as she held on to his jacket. "Where are we going?" she asked as she handed Hiruma's jacket back to him.

"Honestly, if you keep asking me these questions every time you wake up…" he said, grinning as he took his jacket from her.

Mamori's eyebrows creased in a small frown as it occurred to her that this world's existence, what appeared and what might happen next depended solely on her. "Sorry, but I don't recall everything as quickly as you do," she scolded, but Hiruma merely cackled his dismissal as he headed towards the side of the road. Sighing, she picked up her sword, before hurrying after him.

They stood there for a moment, looking around as Mamori began to figure out where they should go. It felt stupid, standing around in the quickly waning evening light. And once more, Mamori had a nagging feeling that she should be really bothered by her current situation. Yet she really didn't want to… She wasn't sure why.

Taking a deep breath, Mamori decided to let her instincts take control. And with that she began to walk down the road, while Hiruma followed suit.

They kept silent as Mamori began to walk past some shops. They were all deserted, and everything was still and silent in this current world. "Hey Hiruma…" she said out loud.

"What?" he replied.

"Will this world be less silent when more of my memories return?" she asked, looking at him as he walked beside her.

"What, you want this place to be filled with fucking noise?" he asked her back.

"Not really noise just…" Mamori looked into what was supposed to be a boutique shop. But she could see nothing else inside but darkness. "Just some sounds, I guess. Well, at least I'm able to see more things now than before but… It's so hard just knowing something's missing and not quite figuring out what that is."

Hiruma kept silent, a stern look on his face. Mamori observed him a little more as they kept walking and she began to wonder why Hiruma wasn't answering her question.

They reached a traffic light, but the lights weren't on and there were obviously no cars around. Even so, Mamori instinctively stopped by the roadside and looked down the road. "Eh?" she muttered, wondering why she did just that. Hiruma was walking ahead of her now and she sped up to reach his side. Everything felt just as strange and as weird as before, and yet this boy acted as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey, Hiruma…"

"What?" Hiruma asked, sounding a little impatient.

"Who are you really?" she asked. "What are you doing here? And why are you helping me?"

Hiruma stopped walking for a brief second. Mamori looked at him earnestly, but he didn't turn back to look at her. Instead, he kept walking once more. "Who do you think I am?"

Mamori swallowed the urge to knock Hiruma with her sword. Why was he always asking her questions to get the answers? "I don't know!" cried Mamori. "Why do you think I'm asking? I really wish you'd stop doing that because it's not making this situation any better for me!"

Hiruma grinned, looking rather pleased at Mamori's outburst. "Well, at least you're fucking speaking up about it now. Took you long enough."

"What?" went Mamori, feeling even more confused. "Just… just try to explain to me why you're here with me, and why you're helping me."

"I guess you could say I'm linked to your subconscious…" Hiruma replied. "You created me."

"I… did?" asked Mamori, trying to figure out how she could have done just that. "You mean… just like how this world was created… I created you, too?"

Mamori could not see Hiruma's expression as he began to explain. "When you were trapped in that darkness… you were desperate to escape, right? That desperation, that desire was what created me."

Mamori pondered over this even more. "So deep down, I wanted to be saved and that's why you appeared? Calling out to me and keeping me from falling back down there?" Hiruma didn't say anything, so she was sure that she must be on the right track. But soon another curious question popped in her head. "Then… Why in this shape?"

"Shape?" Hiruma turned to her, genuinely confused for once.

"N-no offence," Mamori said quickly. "But you don't exactly look like a typical hero … I mean, you curse a lot! And you tend to be pretty harsh and you look more like a threat than a savior… I just can't believe I'd be able to envision someone like you."

Hiruma's face held that look of surprise for a mere second longer before he began to laugh. She wasn't sure if that laughter was sinister, or if it was mocking her… but it was different from the cackle she was used to hearing. Somewhat similar, yes, but still different. Like he was merely very, very amused. "What's so funny?" Mamori demanded.

Hiruma's laughter slowly died down. "You never change…" she heard him mutter before he turned to her with his toothy grin. "Think about it for a moment. Aren't I the complete opposite of you?"

Mamori blinked for a moment as she thought about it for a moment. He was right… everything about him was the complete opposite of who she was, or at least, who she thought she was. "So… you were created based on what I wanted to be a complete opposite of me?"

"Because you believe who you really are won't do you any good," said Hiruma. He then jerked his head, signaling to keep going. Mamori nodded and they began to walk on. There were less buildings now, but one big building stood right before them. Mamori knew that was where they had to go. Clutching on to her sword tightly, she marched on.

Yet the presence of the boy could not stop haunting her. Was he really what he said he was? Or was he lying? How could she even know he was lying? Did she really make him up, or was his image based on someone that she knew?

Someone who could be very important?

But the more Mamori thought about this, the more frustrating it became. The emotions swirling within her became unbearable. Then she felt the world around her shift a little, as though everything was being stretched. The shock of what she had done kept her frozen.

"Stop thinking so hard," she heard him say. She looked at him as he stood before her, looking at her intensely. He'd worn that same look when Mamori had been stuck in the darkness and was afraid. It now dawned on her why she had been so transfixed by his eyes at that time. "You're still not in the right state to figure everything out. Just take things as you go along… By the end of it all, you'll have all the answers."

"Really?" she murmured, as she felt the world shift back to how it was before.

"Yeah," he replied, grin now back in place. He looked towards the building. "So I'm guessing our next stop to regain more of yourself is right over there."

Mamori nodded her steps firm as she marched with Hiruma beside her, the building drawing close. "Hiruma…" she said once more, although Hiruma didn't bother to reply. "I don't really know who you are, or why exactly you're here but… thank you. For some reason, I'm really glad you're here with me."

He grinned, although it didn't seem to reach his eyes. "You talk way too much, Fucking Ma…" Hiruma's voice trailed away as they approached the building.

Mamori glanced at Hiruma, wondering for a moment what he had been about to call her. But she was now distracted by the building before them. A sign stood by the gate entrance. "Sakura Girls Middle School," Mamori read out loud. She looked at the building once more. "I guess I used to study here… but what can I find here?"

"Looks like we're about to find out," said Hiruma as he looked at one of the buildings in the distance. And as Mamori looked in the same direction, she saw a shadow move swiftly into the building, and from that building, the sound of wailing began to grow louder.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes:** I was inspired enough to work on this chapter so this came out a lot faster than I initially planned. As usual, I'm worrying a lot about my writing and whether or not I'm presenting this as interestingly as possible. I'll do my best! I'll explain a little more on my notes after this chapter. So enjoy this chapter, edited once more by the awesome Elis!

* * *

Upon seeing the shadows, Mamori surveyed her surroundings once more and realized that the once orange sky was turning a hazy dark blue. The light breeze that passed through ever so softly earlier had now disappeared, and the air was still. Then just like before, a strong feeling of dread began to grow within her.

Hiruma began his march into the school as the wailing grew distant, moving deeper into one of the buildings. "Wait!" cried Mamori. "Isn't it getting too dark?"

Hiruma turned to her. "Our last fight was at night, too, wasn't it?" he pointed out.

"I know, but…" Mamori continued to look around. She wasn't sure why, but as the light rapidly faded, and the shadows around the building begun to grow, she couldn't help but fear what lay ahead. "I just can't help but feel that this is going to become a huge disadvantage for us."

"Stop fucking worrying," Hiruma assured her. He pulled out one of his guns, releasing the safety latch on it. "Your being awake at this point means we have to face them at this hour. We can't turn back."

Mamori swallowed hard. She took one step forward, the sword still clutched tightly in her right hand. Back then, when she wasn't entirely sure what she had to face, she could walk towards the darkness without fear. But now that she knew exactly what she had to fight, fear held her tightly in its grip.

"I'll repeat, you have nothing to fucking worry about," Hiruma said out loud, his back facing her. "We'll fucking kill whoever is in the way."

Though Mamori could not see the expression on Hiruma's face as he said this, the words calmed her just enough to keep her feet moving. For a fraction of a second, Mamori wondered if this boy was more than just something she had created to save herself… Then his earlier cautions on how the world reacted to her fears resounded sharply amidst her jumble of thoughts and she pushed it all out of her mind to focus on the task at hand.

Hiruma led the way for a moment as they tried to find the source of the wailing. They walked up to one of the school buildings and past the locker area. Mamori looked around, wondering if she could regain some part of her memories by walking past places she was sure she'd been in before. But nothing came to mind.

The wailing grew louder as they took the stairs. They paused at one of the floors, before Hiruma and Mamori shared a glance and took one more flight of steps. It was then that they knew they were getting closer. They strode down one of the hallways, passing by a long row of classrooms.

Hiruma surged forward but as Mamori moved to follow, she felt strangely drawn to a door they were passing and stopped before it. Though the wailing still felt as though it came from quite a distance away, she had a strange urge to open this particular door.

"Hiruma…" she whispered, as though afraid that whatever they were facing could hear them.

Attention caught, Hiruma instantly stopped to look in her direction. He silently nodded and stood beside her. They didn't say a word, but Mamori knew she had to be the one to open the door. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, she put her right hand on the knob and slid it to the side.

The wailing stopped the moment the door opened. Mamori quickly readied her sword, as Hiruma raised his gun but nothing appeared, and the room was pitch black. Mamori could feel her heart beating faster now, as everything became still. There was no sign of any strange creature… had her instincts been wrong and had she opened the wrong door? After all, she had made a mistake back at her own house…

Mamori was about to step away when a light whisper caught her ear. She wasn't sure what that whisper was, or who was saying it. But she was sure now… That it came from that room.

She glanced at Hiruma, who was looking into the room grimly as well. But when he realized Mamori was looking at him, he turned towards her and gave her a grin. Mamori could only reply with a weak smile. His grin still bothered her, but his presence was all she needed to take that step forward.

And with that, she took a step into the room. Nothing happened for a moment, and she took another step, the darkness inviting her in. Mamori swallowed again, as the fear within her grew. The darkness seemed to surround her, thickly encircling her the further she went. The whispering grew louder, and Mamori soon began to feel sick.

BANG!

Mamori screamed a little at the sound of Hiruma's gun, covering her ears. She turned to scold him for surprising her, when she realized that she was now completely engulfed in darkness. "Hiruma?" she called out, but there was no reply.

"Hiruma? Where are you?" Mamori called out louder this time. But neither sound nor sight of him reached her. Mamori began to shiver in fear. The darkness was not doing her any good. She felt sure that it was about to engulf her once more, take her back in and take away everything she had finally regained at this point.

_Just give up… This was a complete waste of time… It's not worth the effort…_

Mamori shook her head as she closed her eyes. "No… please no!"

_Let it all go… It's not worth it…_

Mamori felt her feet go completely cold and frozen. The darkness had finally got her… She knew she shouldn't have come here when it was dark… Now it's all over…

"_Please come back!"_

Mamori gasped. The memory of her mother calling out to her began to play in her mind. That's right, someone wanted her to come back! Her mother wants her to return! She can't let go just yet!

Mamori tightened her grip around her sword, certain that it was still within her grasp. Before the darkness could claim her completely, she slashed forward and saw a short glimpse of the classroom door and the sound of Hiruma's gunshots echoed through.

"_I'm here! So focus on getting the fucking job done!"_

Hiruma's words now echoed through her mind. That's right… He was there. She wasn't alone.

There's nothing to fear. Everything will be all right.

Raising the sword one more time, she slashed through the darkness before her once more, widening the gap before her. "Hiruma!" she cried out.

She heard a couple more shots before Hiruma appeared before her. He grinned at the sight of her then proceeded to shoot around her legs as Mamori began to cut whatever darkness that was holding her in place. The moment the darkness released her, Mamori sprung forward and rushed to Hiruma's side. They were now back to back, and Mamori could clearly see as the moonlight shone through the windows that they were in a classroom, tables and chairs strewn everywhere.

"Good to see you fighting your way out of that," he said, unable to hide the smirk in his voice.

Mamori couldn't help but grin in return as she recalled what kept her from being taken in. "It's going to take a lot more than that to take me down…" she said. "Now what are we up against?"

"I don't know," Hiruma replied, raising both his arms that now held both of his guns.

"Eh?" went Mamori, but she soon discovered what Hiruma meant. Although the moonlight illuminated enough to show them where they were, tables flew seemingly by their own accord and threw itself at the two of them. Hiruma quickly shot the table, hitting it back. A chair from the other side of the room rose into the air and threw itself at Hiruma too. Hiruma shot back with ease.

"We can't… see them?" said Mamori, shocked. "How do we defeat them then?"

"Again with the pointless questions!" Hiruma cackled. Mamori groaned a little as she scanned her surroundings. Not being able to see the enemy was going to be tricky. And she still wasn't sure how the source to stop these attacks looked like.

As she continued to look around, she noticed a chair heading straight towards her. She readied her sword and slashed the chair from right to left. In that brief moment, she thought she saw a figure of the being that had thrown the chair, but it quickly faded away.

Soon the chairs and desks nearby were being thrown. Whatever it was that was attacking them, it was getting closer.

"I think there are two of them," said Hiruma as he shot another desk. "Listen, the moment you find the source, I want you to go straight to it. Don't worry about these things; I'll take care of it."

Mamori nodded, trying her best to look for the source. Come on… it's got to be around here somewhere…

One of the desks near her shifted and she heard a cluttered sound coming from it. Mamori stared at it for a moment, before realizing that the source must be inside that desk. "Hiruma!"

"Go!" he cried, keeping his eye out for anymore attacks.

Mamori nodded and ran towards the desk, sliding to the ground as she reached towards the desk. Putting the sword down temporarily, she rummaged and pulled out whatever that was in the desk. There were books, some stationary, a bentou set and…

A pink cell phone? But a strange aura emitted from the phone.

"This is it…" she whispered to herself as she held on to the cell phone. She was about to reach for her sword when she felt a strange shift in the air. Mamori looked behind her to see a desk flying straight towards her. She moved to the side to grab her sword but knew it was too late…

Then she heard a loud crash. She turned to find Hiruma had taken the impact of the flying desk, and had fallen on his knees. "Hiruma!" she screamed.

"Fuck," he cursed. Mamori could not tell if he was bleeding as he cradled his head for a moment. "Just hurry it up!" he cried out, raising his guns once more.

Mamori nodded. She tossed the cell phone up, sword in hand. And just as she was about to slash the phone, a loud wailing filled her ears and the air shifted once more as whatever it was that attacked them was now heading straight towards her.

But Mamori quickly sliced the phone in two, and in the silence that reigned, it seemed as if time had stopped for a moment.

Mamori blinked. The classroom was now orderly, and the sky was bright orange once more. A girl in uniform sat at one of the desks. Mamori didn't recognize her, but she slowly approached her anyway, noting the girl's braids and glasses. She was typing on the pink cell phone Mamori had seen earlier, and as she examined the girl's expression, she noticed it was filled with sadness and pain.

Mamori heard the door behind her slide open in a hurry. "Ako!"

And in rushed in a younger looking Mamori, her hair cut short and wearing the same uniform as the girl named Ako. "Mamo..ri?" the girl named Ako said in surprise as she quickly hid her phone.

"Sara called me just now and told me everything! She's on her way right now!" said Mamori as she rushed to hug Ako. "Everything's going to be okay."

Then the girl named Sara, with shoulder length hair, rushed into the classroom as well. "There you are Ako! Thank goodness you found her, Mamo-kaa-san!"

"Sara?" Ako pulled away from Mamori's embrace. "Why are you both here?"

"Ako, why didn't you tell us what Suzuki-sensei said to you during your career counseling?" Sara began to scold as the younger Mamori wore a worried expression on her face as the real Mamori watched on curiously.

"H-how did you find out about that?" asked Ako, shrinking back to her seat a little.

"While I was in the Teachers Lounge to hand in some documents, I overheard one of the teachers talking about your wish to enter Sakura Girls High School," explained Mamori. "They said your marks were way below average and so I suspected something might be wrong and called Sara…"

"So I went and asked some of the students who went for the counseling after you, and found out that that stupid teacher told you to give up on ever going to any prestigious schools!" cried Sara. "I've always hated that teacher! I knew you would be crushed, so I quickly called Mamo-kaa-san and…"

Sara stopped as she and Mamori watch Ako break into tears. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Ako weeped as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Ako…" Mamori said softly.

"I wanted to go with all of you to Sakura Girls High School…" cried Ako. "We made a promise that we'll go to the same High School together… Now because my marks aren't up to par… I can't be with you girls anymore."

"What are you talking about?" cried Sara. "My marks are pretty average too! I think it's pretty obvious I won't be accepted in Sakura Girls High School as well!"

"But your marks can still get you to better schools… And Mamo-kaa-san's marks are excellent!" Ako cried harder. "She can get into any prestigious High School easily! But now I can't follow you to any of those schools! The teachers said the only school that would accept me is Deimon…I studied so hard and I still couldn't… I'm sorry…"

Mamori and Sara shared worried looks at each other. Then Mamori walked up to Ako and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Ako…" said Mamori, smiling a little. "I know a lot of people keep telling me that I should go and apply to all these many prestigious High Schools. Our classmates, our teachers… but that doesn't mean I want to go there too."

"But you should go there, Mamo-kaa-san!" cried Ako, looking at Mamori with tearful eyes. "You're so wonderful and so smart and…"

Mamori shook her head. "Being wonderful and smart doesn't mean I must go to a prestigious high school, Ako," explained Mamori. "Good grades and being highly looked upon mean nothing to me. What's important to me is as long as I'm surrounded by amazing people like you and Sara. That's all I need."

"But…" Ako protested, tears still streaming down her face. "Your future… Wouldn't it be better if you went to a prestigious high school?"

"I don't care about things like that," said Mamori, shrugging a little. "It's not like I'm aiming to be a scholar or something grand like that. I'm not sure who I want to be really… So for now, I'd rather just be with you and Sara."

"No…" Ako shook her head. "That's not right…"

"Ako!" cried Sara. "You shouldn't put yourself down like that! We're your friends!"

"And besides," Mamori added. "There's more to life than worrying about what we put on our resume!"

"Yeah!" Sara nodded eagerly. "And don't forget, Mamo-kaa-san is smart! No matter what, she'll find a way to rise to the top!"

"But Sara…" Ako spoke up again. "How about you?"

"Me?" Sara laughed a little. "Don't worry about it. With Mamo-kaa-san and you with me, I'll definitely pull through!"

"So don't cry, Ako!" Mamori assured her. "If you're going to Deimon, we'll go with you too!"

"That's right!" Sara smiled. "I'm sure Deimon won't be so bad. Maybe we'll finally find boyfriends there! Especially you, Mamo-kaa-san!"

"Sara!" cried Mamori, clearly embarrassed. "That's not a reason to look forward to Deimon!"

Sara poked Mamori's red cheeks. "Admit it, Mamo-kaa-san! I'm sure you would love to finally find a guy who doesn't find you intimidating!"

"I am NOT intimidating!" Mamori protested.

"The boys from the other schools who tried to ask you out don't quite think so… They always come to me and Ako, asking us why is Mamo-kaa-san so scary!" Sara teased.

"If that's what they think, fine then!" Mamori huffed as she crossed her arms. "But just because we're going to a co-ed school, doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on the boys too."

"That's our Mamo-kaa-san!" Sara playfully hugged Mamori. Mamori protested and tried to push Sara away but they froze as they heard Ako giggle.

"Ako?" went Mamori.

Ako looked up at Mamori and Sara with a smile. "I, too, want to see Mamo-kaa-san get a boyfriend!"

"Ako! Not you, too!" cried Mamori as Sara cheered and held on to Ako.

"Akoooo! I knew I could count on you!" cried Sara happily. Mamori flustered and tried to tell them off, but seeing Ako and Sara laughing and smiling together, she ended up laughing with them.

The real Mamori watched the trio laugh together and couldn't help but close her eyes and smile as well. Ah yes… She had two special friends who supported her and were there for her. And they in turn called her Mamo-kaa-san for her motherly affections towards them. She had friends, and together they went to a High School named Deimon…

"Mamori?"

Mamori's eyes snapped open and she saw Sara and Ako, looking a little older than she'd seen earlier, standing before her, translucent just like her mother was back then. "Sara… Ako…"

"Mamori! Come back!" Ako cried out.

"Ako…?" Mamori whispered.

"Please, Mamori!" cried Sara tearfully. "We miss you so much!"

"Sara!" Mamori reached out towards them, but they began to fade away.

"Come back!" were their last words before Mamori finally returned to the dark classroom. Mamori drew out a long breath before falling to the ground, Hiruma readily grabbing her.

Everything was getting fuzzy before her now, and she could barely see Hiruma's face. A dark liquid was on the side of Hiruma's temple… was that blood? She reached out to touch it, but she couldn't lift her arms any higher, and she felt it fall flat on the ground.

"Hiruma… I saw my best friends… Two girls…" Mamori smiled a little.

"Ah…" Hiruma merely replied.

"They reminded me about how important friendships can be, and why it's okay to trust each other even if we're afraid… We went to the same High School together… Deimon…"

She felt Hiruma stiffen a little. "Hiruma…?" went Mamori, feeling her eyelids become heavier.

"Just go to sleep now," he replied. "We can talk about it when you wake up."

Mamori nodded. "I know… you'll be there…" she said before finally succumbing to her exhaustion.

Hiruma sighed a little, resisting the urge to touch Mamori's face. His surroundings had now disappeared once more, and soon a woman in a blue Chinese outfit approached him.

"You're wounded," the woman named Sakura said, looking rather worried. She bent down and touched Hiruma's temple where it bled.

"Yeah," he replied nonchalantly.

"You know being wounded is bad for you," Sakura warned as she touched the source of the bleeding. The wound soon began to close.

"I know," said Hiruma. "You told me many, many times Fucking Magician."

Sakura frowned. "If you keep this up, you won't be able to stay in this world much longer. And who knows what will happen to you back…"

"I said I know!" Hiruma barked at Sakura. She jumped a little as Hiruma blinked in surprise and looked away guiltily. "I didn't mean…"

"It's all right…" Sakura smiled. She looked at Mamori who was fast asleep. "She must have been very hard to handle this round. Especially since a lot of her doubts and fears have surfaced. It's amazing you could come up with such a lie about who you are…"

"Hey, it fit in pretty well with the way things are now…" replied Hiruma, looking back at Mamori. "She doesn't need to know the whole truth."

Sakura gazed at Hiruma sadly. "Continuously being in this world will definitely put a strain on you. Are you sure…?"

"Yes," Hiruma answered, looking at Sakura seriously. "It's working so far, hasn't it?"

"Even if it comes with a high price?"

Hiruma grinned at Sakura. "No matter the fucking price."

Sakura smiled sadly at Hiruma. "Just a reminder to keep yourself from harming yourself further…" she pointed towards Hiruma's temple. "Simple wounds like that I can heal… but any worst than that…"

"I won't be taken down that easily…," said Hiruma seriously. "Not until I'm sure she'll return…"

Sakura nodded. "All right…" And with a smile, she disappeared as she uttered, "Good luck."

* * *

**Extra Notes:** I'm sorry if I described Sara and Ako wrongly. I didn't get any info to tell me who's who even though we do catch glimpses of them twice throughout the manga. So I'm basing their personality and their names solely on what I think they might be. If I get anything wrong, feel free to point it out.

The idea behind Mamori following Sara and Ako to Deimon was roughly mentioned in one of the pages explaining why Mamori chose Deimon. I can't really pull out that particular page right now, but it mentions that Mamori chose to go to Deimon just to follow her friends. She didn't really care which High School it is, and that she chose Deimon because her friends suggested it. So with a few tweaks, I incorporated it into this chapter. If I get this wrong, feel free to point it out too! But I'm pretty sure that's how it goes.

And yes, Hiruma IS lying about who he really is. This will get explained later on, but not soon. Hopefully I'll be able to keep the next few chapters interesting as Mamori continues to regain more of her memories. Till then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and do look out for the next one!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes:** Oh crap, did I really abandon this fic since January? Well, I'm not sure how many people here are still fans of this fic, but I'll keep doing my best with this one. I really have no intention of leaving this fic unfinished. But a lot of other stuff came up and I just couldn't find the time to focus and work on the next chapters... until now. As an apology for how long this took, I offer you two chapters. Chapter 7 would be particularly long, so I hope you guys enjoy that. Until then, finally, here's Chapter 6.

* * *

It started off with a whisper, a faint one that she could barely recall what it said. She opened her eyes to nothing but blinding whiteness. There was nothing to see, but she could feel a breeze caress her, playing through her hair. She raised a hand to comb through her long, silky hair. She cannot recall when it grew that long.

The breeze becomes stronger, and against the stark white of her scenery, a rush of colours was coming towards her. Pale colours of blue, pink, yellow, green and so many more. One passed by her as if carried by the wind and she heard a voice call out, "Mamori!"

She gasped as she turned to see who called her, but no one was there. More colours swept by her as the breeze turned into a strong wind. "Mamori! Mamo-kaa-san! Anezaki! Mamo-nee!"

"Who's there?" she mustered, confused. She looked around her and found herself practically surrounded by colours, and the more they passed by her ears, the more she heard voices of so many people calling out to her.

The wind overwhelmed her and she felt herself sinking. Two words remain before she gained consciousness.

_Come back!_

Mamori groaned as she felt herself being pulled into her current reality, which wasn't even reality at all. She felt the familiar feeling of the grassy bed under her, but it was also strangely warm. She opened her eyes and found out that she was sleeping under a tree that was shading her of what appeared to be a strong summer sun.

The sun! Mamori sat up as she looked beyond the leaves. Yes, there it was! Shining brightly, filling her world with warmth. Mamori smiled happily, basking in that moment. It felt like it had been forever since she last saw the sun proudly staying in the middle of the sky and not shying away from her.

"Well, you're in a good mood," a familiar voice called out to her. Mamori turned to find Hiruma walking towards her. It was then that she realized she was near the shops she had walked past just before reaching her old Middle School. "I guess you had a good dream?"

"Eh?" went Mamori. Sub consciously, she found her hand combing through her hair, and then it occurred to her that her current hairstyle was shorter than the one she had in her dream. "No, it was another strange dream…" Mamori tried her best to recall anything that could be important. But other than the voices calling out to her as well as the length of her hair, nothing else came to mind. "I wonder what they all mean…"

She noticed Hiruma was watching her cautiously now. She took that chance to look deep into his green eyes, and in that split second, she sensed a deep pain coming from him. But it disappeared as quickly as she saw it. He grinned back at her and said, "Think you can get up? You might find this pretty interesting."

Mamori got up, picking her sword as she followed Hiruma unto the street with the shops. The moment she looked into one of the shops, she gasped. "It can't be…"

The shops were not empty now, though they were still deserted. But the boutique was now filled with racks of clothes, the bookshop's shelves were now filled with books. Mamori continued to look down every shop and though not a single soul was in sight, the shops were filled with items to be sold.

"This is amazing…" said Mamori as she walked into the closest boutique. Hiruma followed her as she pulled out a blue dress that caught her eyes. She held it against her and liked the design instantly.

"Wanna give it a try?" he asked, looking rather mischievous.

Mamori eyed him curiously. "These clothes are real, aren't they? I mean, there's no one here and I don't have any money. They're not going to disappear when I wear them, right?"

Hiruma laughed loudly. "Are you fucking serious?"

Mamori pouted. There he goes again, treating her current situation like a joke. He was being incredibly hard to predict for her. Was he really something her mind created? Just like these things around her? Like the beings she's fighting against? If she created him as her complete opposite, why was he still so hard to understand?

She sighed, knowing such confusing line of thought would do nothing to help her in her current situation.

"Just try it on," he grinned. Mamori looked at him, wondering if he was joking. But she felt that he was being strangely sincere about it. She nodded as she headed towards a changing room at the back of the shop. She closed the curtains and just as she stripped off her shirt, she heard him say, "Though even if it does disappear, I don't think it's such a bad thing."

"That isn't funny, Hiruma! Stop that!" she cried out. She gasped and slapped her palm against her mouth. That felt strange to her. It was a rush of words she didn't expect to say out loud, but there it was. Silence fell upon them, and Mamori wondered if she hurt Hiruma's feelings. She couldn't see his reaction after all, so she spoke up. "Hiruma, I'm sorry…"

But he cackled instead. "You really are gaining more of yourself back."

Mamori was confused by this. Sighing, she unzipped her skirt and pulled the dress on. She looked at herself in the mirror and she found herself gazing at her reflection. She never really did take a good look at herself since she became aware of this world, but now that she did, it felt like she was looking at someone completely different. "Who am I?" she whispered to herself.

She took a deep breath before pulling the curtain back to show it to Hiruma. He stood there looking at her, but she couldn't read what he was thinking. "Well…" she muttered. "I guess the clothes didn't disappear…"

"Heh…" Hiruma grinned. "No, it didn't. But you sure know how to pull off that fucking dress."

Mamori giggled. Then she stopped herself again. Hiruma noticed the confusion on her face. "What's wrong?"

"It's so strange…" she said, as she turned to look at the mirror in the dressing room. "There's a lot of strange feelings going through me right now. I didn't expect to shout at you earlier, yet I did. I didn't expect to laugh at anything, especially at my current situation… and yet I did. All these emotions feel new, yet strangely nostalgic. It's just… weird."

"But that's good, right?" he asked her curiously. "This is what you wanted, right?"

Mamori looked at Hiruma, he seemed rather intent to hear her answer. "I'm not sure but…" she placed a hand on her chest, feeling the rhythm of her heart. Another new yet nostalgic feeling to her. "Yes, this is what I want. It will take some getting used to cause it feels so raw for me now, but yes, I want to gain it all back."

Hiruma grinned. "Well then, let's get your shopping done so we can finish off our current baddies."

"Ah!" cried Mamori. "You're right! I should be getting ready for our next fight! I can't wear this dress if I'm going to be fighting strange creatures!" Mamori rushed out and looked through the varied clothes before her. She pulled out a black jacket, a black skirt and shorts before rushing into the changing room again, hastily closing the curtains.

Hiruma waited patiently as Mamori came out in her new outfit, with her black fitting jacket covering her black top. Her black skirt fluttered as she moved towards him. "Interesting choice," he commented.

"I just needed to wear something comfy as we fight," she replied as she looked down at her outfit. "I think anime characters would wear something cool like this whenever they go out to fight."

"Which anime character are you thinking of?"

Mamori blinked. "I don't know. But this should do, right?"

"Keh," he grinned. "Not quite yet."

"Eh?" went Mamori, but Hiruma walked out of the shop. Mamori hastily grabbed her sword, which she left on the changing room ground, and looked at the old clothes she was wearing as well as the blue dress. She smiled for a moment before rushing after Hiruma, leaving them behind.

Mamori wondered where he went before she found him standing in front of a shoe shop. He saw her coming towards him, so he nodded at a pair of boots he was looking at. "I think you'll want these too."

Mamori took a closer look at the boots. They were also black and were up to her knees, but it looked comfy and good for running. Pulling out her old sneakers, she took the boots and tried them on. They fit, and she could tell that it was definitely going to serve its purpose during her battles.

She smiled contently. It was a strange feeling, having new clothes on. As if she had gotten rid of her old, uncertain self and was now gaining a new persona. One that is determined to regain everything she had lost. She looked at Hiruma. "Thank you…"

"I'm not done yet," he said. "I think you need one more boost before we work on today's 'mission'."

"Boost?" she asked, but Hiruma walked off once again, Mamori trailing behind him.

"The past two fights we had, you were so fucking hesitant to get going," he said. "So I figured you need one extra push the next time you feel… well… hopeless."

He stopped in front of a bakery shop. Mamori looked at him, wondering why he would even bring her there. But he didn't say a word, he merely grinned. Shrugging, Mamori entered the bakery shop. She was surprised that all the breads and buns were fresh and smelled amazing. But one particular pastry caught her attention.

She reached out for one hesitantly and took it. She eyed it curiously, wondering why her body reacted to it. She brought it closer to her mouth and nibbled on it. Then she took a bite. Then another bite. She consumed the whole thing and it made her smile even more than she had ever remembered. "What is this?" she cried out. "I can't remember the name, but it's soft and it's creamy and… it makes me feel so happy!"

"Can't recall the name, huh?" said Hiruma, who had watched the scene before her amusingly. "Maybe you'll recall it once you beat today's 'mission'?"

Mamori nodded as she took one last look at the pastry before heading out with him. She stopped on the street, looking around her and trying to figure out where to go, before deciding to head right. They walked on in silence before Mamori spoke up, "You're really amazing, Hiruma."

"What do you mean?"

"It feels like you brought me to the exact spots that would make me feel all these strange feelings, which only enforced my desire even more to gain back all my memories," she said, feeling another strange emotion well up as she spoke. "You really know me that well! Is it really because you're a part of this world that I created?"

"What do you think?" he asked, though his gaze seemed more distant.

"I find it hard to believe, really. Even though you said I created you, your presence feels a lot different than anything I see, touch or feel here. I'm not sure if that's how it's meant to be though, so I could be wrong. But it makes me glad to know that there's someone out there who knows who I really am."

Hiruma stopped in his tracks. Mamori also stopped though she was now looking at him curiously. He was trying to hide it, but Mamori could sense that Hiruma was deeply troubled by something. "Hiruma?" she reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, but he quickly moved forward, avoiding her.

"Keh, we're heading to Deimon, aren't we?" he said as he looked at the path before them.

"Deimon?" said Mamori, trying to recall where she had heard that name before. Then she remembered her encounter with Sara and Ako. "Ah! That means we're heading to my High School!"

They continued to walk on now, and sure enough, there sat Deimon. The day was turning into evening now, and it was getting cool. But Mamori wasn't afraid of the darkness now. In fact, she was eager to face whatever that was before her, a part of her desperate to find out the name of that pastry she had eaten earlier.

They now stood at the entrance. Mamori could definitely feel a presence coming from the school, but there was no sign of any creatures lurking around. "Let's go in," said Hiruma as he walked into the school compound.

Mamori nodded and followed after him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes:** And here's Chapter 7. I apologize for how long this fic took. This chapter was especially hard to write as I had to include some form of football that was vague and a little bit disorderly. I hope my writing isn't confusing in this chapter as it's pretty action based. Do let me know if I made any mistakes and I'll work on them. Thanks, and I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

As Mamori had expected, the sky was now a burning orange as the sun began to set. Curiosity made her wonder why her world's days ended so quickly, but she marched on into Deimon, feeling certain that the answers will surely come to her once she gains more of her memories.

They were walking in the locker area with Hiruma following closely behind her, when Mamori sensed him shifting slightly off course and she turned around to look at him for a moment. He was eyeing their area with a strange look in his eyes. Mamori looked where his gaze seemed to linger, but couldn't make out anything other than a bunch of lockers.

_"Meet me by the lockers, I have something urgent to pass you."_

Mamori blinked as the words flitted in her mind and disappeared almost instantly. Did something important happen by the lockers?

"Oi, what the fuck are you waiting for?"

Hiruma was looking at her now, grin back in place. Mamori opened her mouth, ready to ask about Deimon, but she stopped herself. Even if Hiruma was her complete opposite and might hold more answers, surely her memories would come back to her in due time. That would have to wait. "Nothing," she replied, shaking her head. "I was just thinking. Let's keep going."

They walked straight on with Mamori wondering if they should be heading into one of the classrooms, just like at her Middle School. But as she looked at the stairs, she felt a pull come from somewhere else. She then headed towards it, Hiruma still following close behind her.

She was now walking out of the school, across the school field. The sky had turned an ominous mix of purple and violet. It was getting really dark, and Mamori felt a twinge of fear within her heart as she wondered what could possibly be waiting for her out here. But she knew whatever she had to face wasn't in the field. No, it was somewhere else…

She looked around and saw it, a small building close to the school and near the field. She could feel a presence growing stronger as she approached it. It was then that she noticed the huge, neon sign on the top of the building. Like a loud statement, the letters shone brightly before her emblazoning the word "WELCOME" with a cartoon-ish, evil looking red bat beside it. Mamori tilted her head curiously, "Deimon… Devil Bats?" she read aloud.

She heard Hiruma's familiar cackle behind her. "What's so funny?" she asked, turning to look at him. He quickly sobered down, a shadow of a smile left as he said, "It's nothing, I just think this clubhouse looks ridiculous."

Mamori looked at the clubhouse once again. "I… guess so. It doesn't look like a clubhouse at all, it reminds me of things like casinos and places like Las Vegas…" Mamori stopped herself, eyes wide. "Eh?"

Hiruma also seemed pretty stunned by Mamori's words. "What?"

"No, it's just… strange, I don't really remember how I know about Las Vegas."

Hiruma merely nodded. "Just take things one step at a time," was all he could say to her. "Now, are you going in there or not?"

Mamori took one more look at the neon sign, then at the sliding door before her. She nodded. "Yes… let's go."

Taking a few steps forward, Mamori held the door handle firmly in her hands. She was sure whatever she had to fight was right behind that door. Her heart was beating fast as she felt terror creep within her. It's okay… she told herself. Everything will be all right… Her memories will return once this is over, and everything will be all right…

She slid open the door.

Mamori was confused at first. Everything inside was dark and hollow. Night had already claimed her world and the darkness seemed more terrifying than she could remember. Something wasn't right, and the thought of it made her shiver.

"Oi, you okay?" Hiruma asked as he stepped up next to her.

She bit her lip. So much doubt was filling her right now as the darkness seemed to stare back at her. All the confidence she had earlier seemed to fade away. Was it trying to consume her again? No, Mamori knew there was something else going on in the darkness. She focused harder, trying to figure out where the source of this strange feeling was coming from…

Then she felt something strange coming from the ceiling, prompting her to look up. As she did, the hot bright field lights behind them turned on with a flash, shining into the clubhouse. Finally able to see, Mamori gasped.

There were bodies hanging from the ceiling.

Mamori almost screamed at the sight. At her expression, Hiruma grabbed her wrist. "They're not real!" his words sliced through her fear.

Screaming in her mind, 'how could they not be real?' She struggled to calm her nerves and forced a closer look at the hanging bodies, finally realizing they were cold and almost puppet like. They were mannequins, dressed in what Mamori could only think of at the moment as a sports uniform of different colours, heavily padded with their necks wrapped in ropes that seemed to come from an infinite darkness at the ceiling.

"I don't get it…" Mamori spoke up. But then she heard a rattle coming from one of the mannequins. It looked as if a breeze had just passed by the mannequins, but Mamori felt nothing. She gripped on to her sword tightly. Hiruma had now let go of her wrist and held his guns ready.

Suddenly one of the mannequins crashed onto the floor, rope cut clean. Mamori let out a short scream. It was like a battered body with its joints bent in different directions. The rattling sound grew louder and Mamori heard more crashes. More of them were falling, spread across the entire floor.

Mamori could barely breathe. It was like a sea of dead bodies to her. This had become more terrifying than the ghost she'd first met, as she barely understood what was going on or what was going to happen. Even Hiruma seemed confused by the sight before him.

There was a short silence that seemed to pierce through the air when all the bodies had finally fallen. Mamori continued to hold her breath, just knowing something was going to happen.

And right on cue, one of the mannequins rattled and stood up. Mamori gasped, taking a step back. More of them were getting up now, and they were walking…

No, they were going to run right towards them. "RUN!" Mamori screamed at Hiruma, but it was too late. The mannequins rushed forward and tackled the both of them. She was desperately slashing her sword left and right and she could even hear Hiruma shooting at them, but none of their attacks left even a scratch on them. The mannequins had now lifted them both off the ground and dragged both Mamori and Hiruma with them.

Everything was a blur in the chaos that surrounded Mamori as she gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. She felt like she was screaming, but the thundering footsteps of the mannequins made it hard to hear. Where were they taking her? She could barely feel the ground, sandwiched between two mannequins as she was.

And without warning they released her abruptly on what felt like grass. Mamori coughed and gasped struggling to catch her breath. She opened her eyes, trying to focus on what was going on, until she finally realized where she was.

She was by the field she and Hiruma had passed by earlier. Only this time the mannequins occupied the field. Struck dumb by what she saw, she realized the mannequins weren't really out to attack her. They'd practically dropped her on the side of the field.

Then she noticed that the mannequins were fighting with each other. Some were tackling each other to the ground, others seemed to be running around, avoiding each other, some stood waiting and took action the moment another mannequin came close.

They were all scrambling for something. Mamori stood on shaky legs, using her sword to support her. She watched carefully to see what they were all after… it was something small and had an angular shape…

Mamori's eyes flew wide open as she realized it was some sort of ball. Was this a game? As Mamori looked at the ball carefully, it dawned unto her that the ball was the source of power she needed to break. Upon realizing this, Mamori looked around her, desperately looking for Hiruma so she could tell him this.

Her eyes located him on the opposite side of the field, looking pretty beaten up. Mamori was sure she looked just about the same. She needed to get to him, so when she was sure the mannequins were distracted, she moved towards the field, hoping she could run across before the strange mannequins realized her presence…

Just as she stepped onto the field, Hiruma shouted at her. She couldn't hear what he said, but she knew danger was coming. She turned quickly to find one mannequin rushing towards her, ready to tackle her to the ground. Mamori let out a scream as she held her sword before her. The mannequin seemed to only take a light blow as Mamori swung her sword at it, but it was enough to distract him as Mamori took a few steps back. She was ready to take another swing at it, when she realized that the mannequin wasn't after her anymore. It was off attacking another mannequin.

Mamori was terribly confused by then. Hiruma was shouting at her, but the mannequins' thundering footsteps and the distance between them made it hard for her to understand him. "I can't hear you!" she shouted, but her voice was easily drowned out by the noise.

A cold shiver ran through Mamori's body. Things were chaotic and Hiruma was not by her side. What were they going to do? Mamori took a deep breath, desperate to calm herself down. It seemed as though if Mamori even tried to get towards Hiruma, those mannequins would attack, but why did it stop attacking her when she backed out?

Mamori looked at the ground and noticed she was just behind a white line painted on the grass. Mamori then looked at Hiruma and realized that he, too, was standing behind a white line. Mamori's eyes widened with realization.

Of course! These mannequins were players, and the moment she or even Hiruma stepped on the actual field, these players would treat them like any other player and attack. This made things a lot harder, as Mamori knew she had to get the ball, and there was no way of doing this easily without the chance of getting attacked.

Mamori was forced to observe the players now as she tried to see if there was some sort of opening she could use to find her way into the field and grab the ball before being tackled into the ground. She wasn't sure what game this was, though something in her nagged that she should. For now, she knew she had to at least understand the nature of this game.

There were a number of players that kept tackling each other, but Mamori noted that a few of them did little to no tackling. They merely blocked a tackling player with their shoulders and would run with the ball. Then she noticed they would pass the ball to another player and that player would throw the ball to the other side of the field. That was when another player on the other side of the field would catch it and try to run towards the goal post, but another player would run and snatch the ball away and rush straight into the bunch of players that were tackling, blocking Mamori's view of where the ball was. Then another player would emerge with the ball, running towards the player that throws and it would do the same thing again….

That was when it hit her. There was a pattern. A very simple pattern. Mamori considered running straight at the moment when the player throws the ball and slicing the ball in half before it reaches the one catching… but as this was done in the middle of the field, Mamori knew being tackled would be a high risk if she did that. Mamori bit her lip, she wasn't sure what she had to do.

Suddenly, Hiruma was running across the field. Mamori gasped as she saw a number of players rush towards him, but he was running fast enough to evade them for now. Was he running towards her? At that moment, the player that throws had just got the ball and was now aiming to the other side of the field where Hiruma was.

Mamori gasped as she saw how close Hiruma was to being tackled, but he jumped at that precise moment, arms stretched high into the air and he caught the ball in midair. He quickly landed onto his feet, and tucked the ball tightly under his armpit as he ran to evade the players trying to take him down.

Then Hiruma turned and threw the ball to the other end of the field to where Mamori was, and she was shocked to see how far the ball was going. The pattern was broken now, and a number of players scrambled to adapt to the change as now another player stood in front of Mamori, ready to catch the ball.

Mamori took note of this quickly but heard a huge rattling sound that made her jump. Mamori clapped her hand against her mouth as Hiruma was nowhere to be found on the field, but there was a big pile of mannequins where he was supposed to be.

"HIRUMA!" she screamed. The players slowly got up to reveal Hiruma lying down. One player was dragging him by his feet and was pulling him to the other side of the field, away from Mamori. It was obvious that these mannequins knew Hiruma was not an actual player, but Mamori also felt certain that they were keeping him away from her on purpose.

This wasn't going to help much. Even so, that display had shown her that Hiruma was capable of throwing the ball quite a distance and she knew they could utilize that skill to get the ball towards her and destroy it before one of the players got to it. There was no way of communicating all that to Hiruma with mere words. She had to find some other way to do so.

Mamori waved frantically at Hiruma, who got groggily to his feet. His expression belied the hint of a smirk on his lips that Mamori could make out even from this distance. She paused, concerned, after all he'd just been taken down… but before she could further contemplate, Hiruma looked straight at her. She had obviously caught his attention.

She had to make him do that one more time. So she lifted her index finger to say "One more time" and then she swung her arms by her side to show that he should run towards the field and do it again. Then she pointed at the other end of the field and then herself to say that he had to throw the ball at her. Hiruma looked confused at first, but a grin soon blossomed on his face that quickly turned to laughter. Mamori could only stomp her feet in frustration. "Urgh, Hiruma!" she grumbled. Now wasn't the time to laugh at her attempts to communicate!

But it seemed as though Hiruma understood her. He got up and was watching the ball carefully now, and even Mamori set herself ready as she rushed to the end of the field where she hoped she could get the ball before it reached the player who catches.

Just as the player was about to throw the ball to the side where Hiruma was, Mamori noticed the mistake she was making. She had hoped that Hiruma would throw the ball to the edge of the field so Mamori could only take a few steps and slice the ball before the players could touch her.

But now a player had taken its position very close to where Mamori was. There was no doubt she was going to get tackled. But before she could signal to Hiruma to stop the plan for a moment so she could rethink this, he was already on the field and rushing forward as the player prepared to throw the ball.

Mamori panicked. She had to tell him she was going to rush across the right side of the field as fast as she could so he could aim there, or else he was going to aim to where she was and not only would the ball be intercepted, they would both get tackled.

Hiruma was turning, ready to look out for the ball. Mamori bit her lip. There was no time for silly charades, she had to come up with a way to tell him… quickly! Think!

Without realizing it, Mamori had raised her right hand towards Hiruma. This caught his attention once more, but Mamori knew she had to be quick. Without realizing it, some of her fingers were folding, and her palm was moving from side to side in a quick manner. She wasn't even sure what she was doing, then when it hit her that she was distracting him, she quickly pulled her right hand straight towards her chest.

Hiruma was wide-eyed at Mamori's attempt to communicate with him, but he quickly stopped in his tracks. He grinned as he jumped to catch the ball, and he tilted his head to tell her, "Get going, already."

Mamori was dumbfounded. She wasn't sure if Hiruma got the message. But she was going to have to trust him. Sword tightly in hand, Mamori rushed to the right side of the field.

She was sure Hiruma had already thrown the ball, but she could not see if it was where she wanted him to throw. For now, she was too busy avoiding the thundering herd heading towards her. One small player attempted to do so, but she pushed it away with her sword. The sword did no damage to it, but it gave her enough time to turn and hold her sword ready, praying hard that Hiruma threw the ball in the right direction.

And like a miracle that felt like it came straight from a dream, the ball was flying right towards her.

One player was behind her now, and she knew it would tackle her before the ball could reach her. So she jumped forward as more players rushed towards her. But her eyes focused on the ball, emitting such a strong presence that Mamori knew this was what she needed to find.

She heard the rattling grow stronger in her ears, sounding like there was thunder in her head. But Mamori lifted the sword high…

And sliced the ball in two.

She was falling now, and Mamori unwittingly winced, bracing herself for the hard hit of a tackle she knew was coming. Yet all she felt was the soft grass that greeted her once more and another loud noise filling the air. It was a different sort of noise now. It wasn't mechanical, though it was thunderous. No, this noise felt a lot warmer now.

Like it could lift your spirits up.

Mamori looked around her and noticed she was by the field once more, but this time next to the bench. She looked at the field and saw actual players now, donning red and black and fighting against a team that was yellow and black.

"Come on, Devil Bats!" a familiar voice shouted near her. Mamori turned, and to her surprise found herself sitting by the bench, practically at the edge of her seat. Her hair was longer now, close to her shoulders and she wore a red shirt with black lines along the shoulders. She was looking at the game intently as she cheered the players on.

A loud whistle pierced through the air and the players stopped for a moment. Mamori saw the players huddle near a goal post, and without even questioning herself, Mamori knew that it was the team in red and black that were about to score. The noise was louder now, and Mamori knew these were the cheers from an audience that continued to surround her. Then she saw her other self get up as she scribbled on some piece of paper. Her other self looked at what she had written pensively, then looked towards the field…

And gave out the strange hand signals that Mamori herself had just done earlier.

Mamori quickly looked to see who her other self was sending the signals to, but she couldn't see who it was.

In fact, to Mamori's horror… she couldn't see any of the player's faces at all. For a moment, Mamori wondered if their face was covered, or they were too far for her that was the reason why she couldn't see.

She found herself walking towards the players wearing red and black, despite the dangers of being on the field. Most of the player's on the field had their backs towards her. Suddenly one of them in a helmet turned around and Mamori gasped.

There was no face at all. The helmets had no visors, so she was sure she should have been able to see their faces. But there was nothing there.

"Let's go Devil Bats!" she heard her other self shout from the back. But Mamori was overwhelmed by another strange emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes and blurred her current world into darkness, and she found herself falling.

"Oi, are you hurt?"

Her vision was teary as Mamori found herself in Hiruma's arms. He was looking at her with a serious, concerned look on his face. "Hiruma…?"

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know…" Mamori felt the usual drain take over her body. "But that memory I just recovered… it didn't seem right."

"What was wrong? Didn't you see yourself?"

"I saw myself… but…" Mamori closed her eyes, forcing her tears out. "I couldn't see anyone else. Everyone's face was a blur. I know I should be happy, I finally figured out what I used to do here in Deimon… and that game just now… it was called American Football, wasn't it? But… that memory's incomplete… and I don't know why… it makes me so sad…"

She felt Hiruma's arms wrap tightly around her now, his head was close to hers, but he didn't say a word.

"Why?" Mamori sobbed. "Why was it incomplete, Hiruma? Why can't I remember it all? Why…"

Hiruma looked down at Mamori to find that she had finally fallen asleep, their world back into the colourful blur. Hiruma gently wiped the tears from Mamori's eyes as a figure now stood before him.

Sakura was silent as Hiruma continued to wipe Mamori's tears with his fingers. "Is this how it's supposed to go?" Hiruma spoke up. "Her memories won't be fully recovered?"

"They will…" Sakura sighed. "But you know very well that not all of it will return. Not for now. There's still many more adversities to face. Until then, her memories will be recovered like this, and they will leave her feeling even emptier."

Hiruma was silent. Mamori's face was now tear free but he could not look away from her. He kept silent for a few minutes, doing his best to go through his feelings without venting his anger at the figure before him. "I thought things were getting better…" Hiruma said, his voice breaking. "She was smiling, she was laughing, there was hope."

"There's always hope," said Sakura. "But we are rushing to gather all her memories in time, that it will undoubtedly cause her a lot of confusion. She's finally experiencing more emotions than before and there's a chance they'll break her. Even her body's reacting on it's own as the memories of her body recovers faster than her mind." Sakura bent down and placed her right palm on Mamori's forehead. Softly, she said, "I did warn you that this was possible… but you've both come so far now. There is no turning back. I can only pray for her safe recovery… and for yours, Hiruma-san."

Hiruma looked at her, and though his face seemed stoic, Sakura could see he was breaking inside. "I suggest you rest as well…" she said as she lifted her index finger and gently touched Hiruma's forehead. "You both have much more to face. But with each obstacle you break down, the closer you are to finally being free. And that is hope, Hiruma-san. A hope that even I, and everyone back at home, have for the both of you."

Hiruma felt all energy drain from him, and the last face he saw was Sakura's hopeful smile before blacking out and falling next to Mamori.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes: **Chapter 8 is up! It's a short chapter, but it's the calm before another storm so to speak. The next chapter will be more action centric, so look out for it. To everyone who has been reviewing and giving me any form of support from favs and watches, THANK YOU. I'm really glad to know that this fic is still being read and enjoyed. While I'm not the type to fish for reviews, it means a lot to me and this helps me generate the next chapters faster. Thank you so much!

For now, enjoy! ^^

* * *

Someone was walking next to her, someone she felt sure was important. But every time she turned to look at that person's face, all she could see was a dark shadow where this person's face should be. In fact, everything around her looked too dark. Was it night where she was now?

"I'm glad you could come out and meet up with me, Mamori-nee-chan. It feels like it's been a while…"

Mamori-nee-chan? A sweet, simple laugh bubbled from her throat. "What are you talking about, Sena? Didn't we meet up just last week?"

"I know… but we didn't really get the chance to talk, did we? I wanted to let you know that I'm really happy for you, Mamori-nee-chan."

"Do you think it's strange? Aren't you the least bit worried?"

She heard him laugh. A familiar, boyish laugh that caused her heart to ache. "Not at all. I can see he makes you happy, and you make him happy too. So I'm happy for you both."

"Don't lie to me, Sena. I remember you almost fainted when I told you I was dating him!"

He laughed nervously this time. "It's true, I was a little shocked when you told me… but you're both very important people to me. And now that I've seen how much you two mean to each other, I want you to know that I support you all the way, Mamori-nee-chan."

She feels a smile light up her face. For some reason, it hurts. "Thank you, Sena. By the way, why are we walking through the park? I thought you wanted to go home?"

"Oh… There's this one place I want you to see…"

She looks in the distance and sees a soft light shining before her. A sense of familiarity overwhelms her for a moment. She felt hope as she saw the light, as if it would help her somehow. But as she got closer to it, the light engulfed her.

The sound of popping fills her ears and one word echoes before she feels herself falling once more.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

oOo

Mamori felt herself being pulled back into her current world, away from her dreams that continued to haunt her even as she opened her eyes to see a dark, grey sky above her. The ache in her heart wasn't leaving, and the pain was causing her eyes to tear up again. She flexed her fingers, feeling nothing but cold cement beneath her. She urged herself to get up, but felt strangely heavy.

"Oi."

Mamori's eyes wandered to look for the source of that voice. "Hiruma...?"

She felt a hand brace against her back, lifting her in a swift movement that helped her sit up. It was then that she could see Hiruma, looking rather worn out himself. "You slept for a fucking long time. Don't tell me you want to sleep some more?"

Despite her body feeling weary, she knew sleep was doing her no good. She was afraid of dreaming again, of seeing people without faces. "No... I'm fine... I just need some time to get myself together."

She looked at her surroundings and realised that they were both on the pavement next to a road. There were a few houses nearby, but Mamori could barely see beyond that. Her world felt smaller now, and it was scaring her. The clouds above were getting darker, threatening to pour down on them.

"Are you hurt?"

Mamori took a good look at Hiruma's face that was worn with exhaustion. She stared at his expression curiously, and for a moment she wondered if she had seen his face before. But like grasping the wind, this thought quickly faded away. "I think I'm okay... but you must be in worse shape. You got tackled pretty badly during that Football game."

"Keh, I'm a lot tougher than you think," Hiruma grinned a little.

"But you really have to be careful!" she insisted. "We don't know how strong those linemen were, and they could have easily crushed you just like...!" Mamori bit her lip. There they were again... words that she had no idea what they meant were spouting out of her. What was she trying to say? The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached.

Hiruma watched as Mamori's eyes became unfocused again as she looked around her blankly. This was getting too much for him to bear quietly. His hand hesitated as he reached out to her, but he steeled his resolve and placed his hand on her right cheek, prompting her to look at him.

"Stop being fucking stupid," he told her. "You're in pain, and sitting there lost, confused and mulling over it will not help you in any way. Let it out already."

Mamori couldn't help but find Hiruma's seriousness strange. She smiled a little and said, "What do you mean let it out...?" until she realized her cheeks were getting wet. She blinked in confusion, only to realize more tears were coming out. "Eh?" Mamori pulled away from Hiruma as she rushed to wipe her tears away. "Eh? Why? Why am I crying? I'm not hurt in any way, I just..."

"You're scared," said Hiruma. "The more memories you regain, the more you realize how much you've forgotten and that scares you. It's all right to feel this, and it's also all right to cry."

Small drops of rain began to fall on them. Mamori looked around her, at her surroundings that were limited and gray. Then she looked at Hiruma, and the memories of not recalling faces, of not knowing names, not knowing who they are and what they meant to her resurfaced. The pain gripped her heart, causing her to choke, and before she knew it, she let out a loud sob...

And began to cry.

Hiruma pulled her head to his chest quickly as the sky finally released a torrent of rain upon them. Mamori was crying loudly, almost to the point of screaming. Despite the cold rain washing over them, he could feel her hot tears falling on his chest. He could see the world around them was blurry, stretching and fading behind the curtain of rain that covered them. But Hiruma wasn't worried anymore; instead he smiled as he wrapped one arm around Mamori, pulling her closer.

Mamori wasn't sure why she was crying so hard, her throat ached and she felt physically ill. But it felt like she was finally releasing a lot of the pain that she had been keeping suppressed in her from the very moment she realised she was in this world. She thought about the people who were waiting for her in her real world, she wondered about what had brought her here in the first place, and she continued to cry wondering what was going to happen to her now, and whether she would be strong enough to face it.

Slowly, her sobs softened and the rain began to lighten as well. Hiruma noticed that the world was finally settling itself. The rows of houses didn't look distorted now, and more were appearing. A tinge of blue tainted the sky. They were beyond soaked now, but Hiruma was glad to see she was regaining herself now.

It was only after finally releasing her pain did Mamori notice how warm and comfortable she felt being in Hiruma's arms. A nostalgic feeling crept up within her, and she couldn't help but wonder where she had felt this before. Again, questions about who Hiruma really was popped up in her mind and she doubted that she was capable of creating someone like this. But as she finally calmed her heart, the answer on what to do laid clear...

She must regain all her memories and find her way home. Only then, she knew, would everything make sense.

Sniffling, she finally pulled herself away from Hiruma, rubbing her face quickly from her tears and rain. "I'm sorry to put you through all this..."

Hiruma kept quiet for a moment as he brushed his hand through his wet hair. He looked away from Mamori, hoping she wouldn't realise his smile. "Feeling better now?"

Mamori nodded as she too brushed her hair with her hands and squeezed out the excess water. "You were right... I was scared. I really thought that when I regained my memories, I would feel happier and better. But when I started to notice that I couldn't remember a lot of important people, I got scared and confused. Why was this happening to me? Why can't I remember? These questions continued to haunt me until it hurt. But..."

Hiruma watched as Mamori slowly got up on her feet. She could see her sword just nearby, glistening with raindrops. "I'll keep fighting. No matter how much it hurts me, I'll find a way to remember everything I've lost and return to the people who need me." She looked at Hiruma and smiled brightly. "Everything will be all right... Right, Hiruma?"

He grinned in reply as he got up himself. "Let's get going then. But first... we have to get ourselves dried."

Mamori looked at her drenched outfit and sighed. "I wonder if we will get sick even in this world."

"Unlikely, but I don't think we'd be able to do much if our own clothes are weighing us down."

The sun was shining brightly now and Mamori couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. "We can hang our clothes out if this sun keeps up. But we will need to wear some temporary clothes..."

"Why don't we just walk around naked then?"

Mamori blushed. "HIRUMA!"

He cackled in amusement and then pointed into one of the houses. "We can check out one of the houses here and use their stuff in the meantime."

"Are you sure?"

"You took those clothes from a shop without fucking paying for it, I'm sure you using one of the houses in the mean time won't be a fucking big deal."

Deciding that Hiruma was right, Mamori nodded and they both entered one of the houses. It was not locked, and while it looked rather big from the outside, it felt quaint and simple within. They went upstairs to look through the closets and find for some spare clothes. Mamori entered what she felt sure was a young boy's room. It was clean and simple, but a boy's uniform hung in a corner, one she recognized as Deimon's school uniform. Did she enter a fellow schoolmate's house?

She opened the closet and looked through the clothes. They were all boys' clothes, but she wondered if she could find a shirt for Hiruma to use at least, but she noticed the sizes were far too small for him.

And that was when she saw it. Peeking under a few folded t-shirts, she saw a red jersey that caught her attention. She recognized the pattern, she had seen it when she recalled her memories about American Football.

This was the Deimon Devil Bat's jersey.

She pulled it out and unfolded it to take a good look. She looked at the number printed on the back and stared at it, feeling certain that this was something important.

21

Twenty-One... Mamori couldn't remember it. Like a wall blocking her view, the memory she was trying to recall could not be seen. She would have to wait for now. She folded the t-shirt and touched it fondly. "Whoever you are, I know you're someone important to me especially if you were part of the Devil Bats. I will remember you, so please wait until then."

She got up and found Hiruma by the doorway. He threw a summer dress at her and grinned. "You can wear this for now."

"Did you find something to wear?"

Hiruma held up a t-shirt and pants he found and proceeded to go to another room to change. Mamori looked at the summer dress and frowned a little. She felt sure it was outdated and something only Mothers would wear. But thinking she had no right to complain, she removed her wet clothes and put it on.

They both hung their clothes out and enjoyed a quiet moment together as they sat by the porch overlooking the house's garden. "I'm starting to believe every place I go to whenever I'm in this world played a significant role in my life, that's why my mind creates them," she told Hiruma.

"But you don't recall anything when you see it?"

She shook her head. "No, but it's comforting to know that at least a part of me remembers these places. I hope I can remember it all soon, I'd like to know the boy who lives here."

Hiruma quietly nodded as they waited for their clothes to dry. It wasn't until the sun began to set did they decide that they were dry enough and that they had to move soon before they missed out on their chance to tackle their next obstacle.

With their clothes back on, dry and warm, Mamori and Hiruma left the house with their weapons in hand. "So where do we go now?" asked Hiruma.

Mamori looked at her surroundings and then turned left. "This way..."

They walked through more rows of houses until they finally reached a park. Mamori looked at the pathway curiously as soft, pink petals rained down. "Sakura trees? Is it spring?"

"Seeing as it rained earlier, I would say it is spring," said Hiruma. "Are you sure we're supposed to head in here?"

Mamori looked around her and was about to respond when she saw something small move between the trees. A shadow? But it was small compared to the past shadows she'd seen, almost like a child's. "There's something there..."

The moment Mamori said this, the shadow quickly ran off, deeper into the park. "Ah! Wait!" She rushed after it, Hiruma followed suit.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes:** I changed the summary of this fic after being told by one reviewer that my original summary is pretty misleading and doesn't really capture the true essence of this fic. Seeing as I have a limit on the summary words in , I discussed this with Elis and we came up with a new summary that showed more of Hiruma's side of the story. I wasn't sure of this at first, but she told me that Hiruma plays a bigger role in this fic than Mamori as he keeps the story going, so it makes sense. Do let me know if you think the summary isn't quite right either... I realize that it lacks mentioning Sakura's role, but I think her role was established well enough in the first few chapters.

In the meantime, enjoy this chapter. We finally leave the usual way of Mamori recovering her memories after this one as things get darker from here. I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know if something about it isn't right. Thank you so much for the continued support of this fic!

* * *

Mamori ran deeper into the park with Hiruma following right behind her as they chased what she was sure was the shadow of a little girl. The park grew darker the further in they ran, and the shadows began to blend in with the darkness.

The pathway they were on was suddenly lit by streetlamps and in that flickering moment, Mamori lost sight of the shadow. She stopped, looking around in confusion. "Oi," Hiruma spoke up as he calmly walked to her side. "Did you lose sight of it?"

Mamori continued to look around some more as darkness completely settled upon the park, shadows cast in every corner she could see. "I think so... but that's strange..." she looked at the pathway before them, "I definitely sense something over there, but I felt sure the girl was running more towards the left..."

Hiruma looked at her, suddenly alert. "A girl?"

"Didn't you see her?"

Hiruma shook his head. "All I saw was you running, couldn't figure out what the fuck you were chasing."

Mamori was even more confused at this point. The sakura trees around them shifted, a slight breeze passing through. "Oi, stop fucking worrying about it," Hiruma assured her. "Whatever it was that you were chasing would appear at some point if it has some significance to your condition..."

"My condition?"

Hiruma suddenly turned away and cursed softly. "Fuck, I mean in terms of getting your memories back. Look," he sighed, running his hand through his blonde hair, "I don't have the answers to everything. But we can't solve anything either just standing here questioning this world."

Mamori pressed her lips together. The sight of Hiruma looking so uneasy bothered her. She felt herself doubting and questioning Hiruma's existence again, so she took a deep breath to calm herself. There's no use asking, there's no use doubting, the answers will come... she was sure of it. "You're right," said Mamori. "I'm sorry..."

"Why the fuck are you apologising now?"

Mamori smiled softly and shrugged. "I just felt as if it was necessary. Let's get going."

They moved forward slowly as the breeze continued to caress them, rustling the sakura trees and bringing petals down softly onto the pathway before them. The street lights offered very little vision, but Mamori couldn't help but stare at the pink petals on the ground, scattered like confetti, a cause for celebration.

As the breeze continued to pick up, Mamori could hear whispers blended in with it. They were barely audible and she couldn't figure out what they were saying, but a thought suddenly occurred to Mamori. "Hiruma..."

"What?"

"It's really vague to me, but... there's a story related to sakura trees, right?" Mamori looked at the sides of the pathway, where the sakura trees lined in a row. While they usually looked beautiful and majestic, something about them was sending shivers down her spine at that moment, especially with the shadows cast ominously upon them.

Hiruma kept his eyes forward, unnerved by her question. "... And which story is that? Do you know?"

"I don't really recall the contents but..." Mamori stopped as she looked forward, and saw the outline of a big sakura tree before them, blocking their pathway, dark yet looming in trepidation. "It was about why sakura trees are pink."

Hiruma grinned. "I see," was all he said as he pulled out his guns. "Do you want to remember the story?"

Mamori took a shaky breath, unable to tear her eyes away from the dark sakura tree before them. They hadn't moved a single step forward but the tree appeared to loom closer. Her right hand tightly wound on the sword's handle, Mamori braced herself. "... If it'll help me."

"It might not."

"Tell me anyways."

The breeze had now become a strong wind causing the sakura petals to fly all around them. The whispers turned into a howling, filling Mamori's ears, causing her heart to race. Something was coming, she wondered if the dark sakura tree could be the cause of it. It was coming closer...

"A long time ago," said Hiruma, his fingers placed on the trigger of his guns. "It was said that sakura trees were originally white. But one day people discovered pink sakura trees and they wondered how they gained such a lovely shade of pink. After some time, they discovered... that it was because..."

The wind stopped instantly, the dead silence rang in Mamori's ears as she held her breath, heart pounding.

"... There were dead bodies buried beneath them."

A bright light suddenly blinded them as the wind came back, stronger than before, threatening to blow them away. Then Mamori could hear screams in every direction but before she could figure it out, she felt something grab both her ankles.

Gunshots rang through the air, prompting Mamori to open her eyes. The bright light had dimmed, but she could barely comprehend the sight before her. Both of them were suddenly under the dark sakura tree, its petals flying everywhere with the wind that seemed to be blowing in every direction. Mamori felt sure she would have been thrown off the ground by the sheer strength of this wind, but something was keeping her down, something cold and stiff, digging into her skin...

Hands. Off coloured and skin like leather, they sprouted like flowers all over the ground underneath the sakura tree. The ones nearby her and Hiruma grabbed their ankles, refusing to let go, until Hiruma shot them and they released him momentarily. Hiruma would move forward for a moment before more hands grabbed onto him, causing him to curse even more.

"Hiruma!" Mamori shouted, but she felt a shift in the wind that made her turn to her right. It was gone now, lost in the wind, but she was sure that someone, or something, had just passed by her.

"Oi!" Hiruma called out to her, the wind carrying his voice. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Mamori looked at him and noticed the dead hands' fingers didn't merely grip his ankles now but were digging deeply into his flesh. "I don't know what's going on! I can't find a source, it seems to be everywhere!"

"Focus! The wind and petals are a distraction! It has to be nearby!"

Mamori looked around in panic, the dead hands from the ground, the flying petals, the wind, the dark sakura tree, none of them were the source. "I don't know where it is! And I can't move!"

"Just stab it with your sword!"

"Eh?"

Hiruma aimed his guns at the hands on his ankle and shot right at the back of their palms. The hands quickly let go, letting Hiruma free for a moment before he ran closer towards Mamori and was caught again. Hiruma turned to Mamori, "You better do it quick!"

Mamori opened her mouth to ask why, but she suddenly understood. As she looked down, she realised almost her entire foot was sinking into the ground. She gave a sharp short scream before quickly stabbing the hands with her sword and freeing her ankles. She struggled to pull out her feet until Hiruma, who was close enough, grabbed her arm and yanked her out.

Mamori took a few steps before finally getting caught once more by those hands. She was terrified by the feeling of the dead hands latching on to her ankle and she was desperate to put an end to this. Mamori looked around her once more, searching for something, anything that could lead her to the source of this.

_"Help... right here... help..."_

The voices in the wind were getting louder until Mamori could clearly hear the words. The wind shifted, the voices grew louder...

And then she saw it.

A figure running past her at breakneck speed. She could barely see the outline but she was sure something was there. And that was the source.

"I think I saw it!" cried Mamori. "But it's moving so fast, I don't know if I can catch it in time! Especially with my legs caught like this!"

Hiruma growled in annoyance. "Do you think you'll know when it comes again?"

Mamori pondered for a moment before she heard the faint voices once more.

_"Help... I'm... here... help..."_

She gasped. "The voices! Of course! Once they grow louder, it'll come!"

"Good," Hiruma grinned. "Here's the plan then... the moment you think that thing is coming, let me know. Don't look back, don't worry about those hands, just run and aim straight at it."

"Hiruma?" Mamori wasn't sure what he was planning, as he didn't even bother to explain himself and merely grinned at her. She noticed he was twirling one of the guns around his fingers though, and for a moment that move felt familiar to her. Again, the memory of it slipped away from her, but it was replaced with a feeling of trust. She nodded at him and listened carefully to the voices...

_"I'm... right here... help me..."_

The voice was pleading as it grew louder. The winds shifted once more and Mamori set herself ready, sword in hand. Her feet were being pulled steadily into the ground, she had to move soon. But she held on, just a few more seconds...

The rapid shift in the wind signalled it was coming. "NOW!" she shouted.

Gunshots rang in the air and the hands instantly released their grip on Mamori. She ran as fast as she could urged on by the hands she knew were reaching out to grab her, but just before they could even lay their cold fingers on her, they would be shot making them shrink back into the ground. Mamori then stood her ground as the figure rushed towards her and she held her sword ready...

But the wind around her shifted and she noticed the figure was now spinning before her, in that moment of confusion she panicked and wondered if it was going to knock her away so she aimed her sword forward.

But as it drew nearer, she knew she was wrong. It wasn't going straight towards her... it was going...

She quickly held her sword out to her left with both hands, and to her surprise the figure had actually spun to her left side and was hit by the sword. Mamori gasped, wondering how she knew it would happen. But now wasn't the time...

She could see the figure clearly now, it had stumbled and the wind instantly died as it stood still, looking confused. Mamori could see he was in the Devil Bats uniform with his helmet on and a visor covering his face. Without any hesitation, Mamori rushed forward, raised her sword and slashed at the helmet and visor.

The bright light burst through the scenery once more and Mamori closed her eyes instantly.

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

Sounds of party poppers and happy cheers filled the air, prompting Mamori to open her eyes and look around. She was still in the park, but the sakura trees looked friendlier now, and there were no dead hands sprouting from the ground. The place was filled with familiar people instead, and there were food and drinks spread out on mats on the ground.

"Oh, Sena!" she heard her own voice gasp behind her. Mamori turned to see herself looking slightly older than she could even remember. Her hair was longer, and her face looked more mature. "Sena, don't tell me you..."

Mamori saw the boy next to her other self scratch his head sheepishly. For some reason, she felt as if the boy was also a lot taller than she had expected, almost surpassing her height. Was he supposed to be shorter? "Everyone from the Devil Bats wanted to see you again. We thought it'd be pretty symbolic, considering you both kind of got together during that time..."

"MAMO-NEE!"

A petite girl with dark blue hair was running up to Mamori's older self and hugged her tightly. "Suzuna-chan! It's been so long! I can't believe you and everyone from the Devil Bats are here!"

"Wait, I don't get it..." one boy with black hair and thick lips spoke up, "What are we celebrating for again?"

Suzuna giggled and whispered to the other Mamori, "We didn't tell them the big news cause we wanted to see their reaction."

"Suzuna-chan..." Older Mamori shook her head though she laughed.

"Ahaha~! I have the upper hand now!" a flamboyant boy with blonde hair and a short beard appeared, twirling on one leg. "I will tell you, because I am awesome 100%!"

"Urgh, no," said another blonde boy with short hair and a scar on his face. "For some reason, I'm not keen to hear it from you."

"We'll let Mamo-nee say it then!" cried Suzuna as she nudged Older Mamori to come forward. "Go on... say it!"

Mamori watched as her older self blushed and hesitated quite a bit. The crowd before her listened eagerly in anticipation. She clasped her hands together, took a deep breath, then lifted her left hand to show a ring on her fourth finger. "I'm engaged."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

"HUUUUUUUUUH?"

But soon loud cheers and applause were heard and even a big, fat boy was crying happily as he approached Older Mamori to give her a big hug. One man which looked a lot older than her approached her older self with a hand shake and a quick hug. "I wish you both lots of happiness... but let me know if he gets out of line. I'll give him a good punch for you."

Her older self giggled and shook her head. "I can handle him just fine, Musashi, but I'll take up that offer when the time comes... Oh, Monta!"

Another boy was approaching her, he had monkey like features yet Mamori couldn't help but think he looked so much more mature than she remembered. Though he looked rather distraught, he gave her the biggest smile. "You'll always be my favourite Angel, Mamori-san. Congratulations, and I wish you all the happiness..."

Mamori's older self quickly enveloped Monta in a hug. "Monta, I hope you'll find your happiness too... I hear you're doing so well in the local X-League team. Your talents will bring you far."

"Thank you, Mamori-san..." tears filled Monta's eyes, but he continued to smile.

"Let's drink to Mamori's happiness!" said a short man with a beard. He already looked pretty red as he passed around cans of beers.

One tall, skinny boy with a large forehead took the can from him and slowly led him away to sit in a corner. "By the way," he spoke up. "Where is the man of the hour?"

"I see him there..." said a darker blonde boy with thick black rimmed glasses.

Mamori quickly turned to see him, finding the scene before her fascinating. So she was engaged? To whom? Was this her future? Has it already happened?

Everyone was shouting and calling out to the figure, but for some reason, Mamori couldn't make out his name, it sounded distorted for some reason. She held her breath as the figure drew closer, but soon Mamori felt her heart sink.

It was a shadow. She couldn't see who it was.

But everyone around her was excited to see him. "He's heeeere!" the fat boy shouted in glee.

"Kurita, calm down! Don't run up to him!" cried Musashi.

"Hugo!" cried a smaller, sturdy boy as he rushed after Kurita. A gun shot was heard and everyone went silent.

"Are you sure you want to marry him?" the short, older man suddenly spoke up. For a while, nobody said anything, but soon everyone burst into laughter.

"Well, I guess angels need their share of devils," said the darker blonde in glasses. "See, there's this manga I'm working on now and this aspect of opposites attract..."

"Stop cursing so loud!" Mamori heard her older self say as she approached the shadow. "Come on, try to be in a good mood for a bit, everyone's here to congratulate us... are you tired? You should eat something."

Mamori could only watch as her older self suddenly smiled, a beautiful, radiant smile that beamed of happiness and comfort. Does she really smile like that? Who was she smiling to? Mamori felt nauseous as she tried to figure it out...

"Mamo... nee?"

The scene was shifting away as Mamori turned to be greeted with Suzuna and Sena, only this time they were dressed differently and looked incredibly worried. "I-Is it really you?" asked Suzuna, tears filling her eyes.

Mamori blinked. They were definitely looking at her and not her older self. "Suzuna... chan?"

"MAMO-NEE!" Suzuna cried out as she made a move to run towards Mamori, but Sena held her back. He looked down and though his eyes were dry, he seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Mamori... nee-chan," he finally spoke up. "I... I'm so glad to see you're all right."

"Sena..." Mamori could barely breathe at the sight of them.

"Mamori-nee-chan," Sena did his best to give her a warm, comforting smile. "You'll come back to us, right?"

Suddenly Mamori could see them all behind Sena and Suzuna. The Devil Bats. "Kurita..." Mamori began to cry, their faces now a blur. "Musashi... Monta... The Ha-Ha brothers, Jumonji, Kuroki, Togano... Yukimitsu... Taki... Komusubi... Doburoku-sensei..." Mamori broke down. "Everyone... Everyone!"

She heard them calling out to her. "Mamori! Mamori-san! Anezaki!"

"Mamo-nee..." Suzuna was crying just as badly as Sena held her close. "Mamo-nee, please... please..."

"Come back," Sena finished her sentence as he looked at Mamori with steady, calm eyes.

The Devil Bats chorused in agreement. "Yeah! Come back to us! We're waiting for you! Your most important person is waiting for you too."

"My... important person?" Mamori whispered as she rubbed her tears away, but fresh ones kept pouring down her face. The image of the shadow flashed through her mind, then she noticed everyone before her were beginning to disappear. "Wait, everyone!"

"I believe in you, Anezaki! Stop making us all sad and come back! We'll be right here, waiting for your return!"

"Mamori-nee-chan," Sena spoke up as he began to disappear too. "I believe in you. I miss you so much..." his voice cracked at the end. "So come home, and let's all be happy again."

Mamori swallowed the sob threatening to break from her. "I'll come back! Please wait for me! Don't worry, everything will be all right! Don't cry, Suzuna-chan, everything will be fine!"

"Mamo-nee... come back!" Suzuna sobbed as she stretched out her hand towards Mamori. Mamori held hers out too, even though she knew it was futile... and watched as everyone before her disappeared...

She fell on her knees, feeling the world around her shift. Holding herself tightly, Mamori finally allowed herself to sob out loud and cry. She felt Hiruma touch her shoulder lightly. "You saw them...?" she heard him ask.

Mamori could only nod. "I saw everyone... from the Devil Bats... everyone...," she struggled to keep herself calm. "I've been hearing their voices all this while... I saw them just now... they miss me... and I miss them all so much... I miss my family, I miss my friends... and I miss..."

Mamori suddenly took a deep breath and fell forward, Hiruma quickly caught her before she hit the ground. He laid her down slowly and noticed her eyes were still wide open. "You should rest..." he told her.

But she wouldn't tear her eyes away from him. "I can't remember my most important person," she told him. "But there's something about him that feels strangely familiar when I see you."

Hiruma frowned. "You're just tired. Get some rest..."

But Mamori grabbed Hiruma's sleeve as her eyes began to close. "... You'll tell me the truth, right...?" she said as her eyes finally shut and she began to breathe slowly. "Please..."

The world finally returned to its colourful blur as Hiruma pulled out his jacket and placed it on Mamori. As he expected, Sakura appeared, smiling sadly as she approached them. "You don't have to keep checking on me, Fucking Magician."

"As I'm aiding you in your quest to save her, it's important that I check up on the both of you," said Sakura. "It wasn't so bad today, was it?"

"No, she saw the girl so I think we're getting close... but I'm worried of what will happen when she wakes up."

Sakura looked at Hiruma with interest. "What do you mean?"

Hiruma stared at Mamori's calm, sleeping face. "She's noticed someone's missing. Someone... important."

Sakura nodded. "She'll struggle over that for a while... Because according to the order of how she's recovering her memories... that important person should be next."

Hiruma was glaring at Sakura, but she didn't seem to mind. "Tell me, Fucking Magician... considering the price I paid, what would happen if she finally remembers that important person?"

"She won't," Sakura did her best to smile, but she couldn't hide her sadness.

"She showed signs of being close to remembering everything now, just what if... what if she figures it out?" The tone of worry in his voice was too obvious. "She's smart after all, and the signs would all be there, it would be impossible to deny it."

"Hiruma-san..." Sakura bent down next to Hiruma and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hate to do this but... if Anezaki-san does recall who you are, then I must warn you that it'd be the most painful moment. Not for her, but for you. Whatever it is, she will never recall who you are, no matter how hard she tries. She won't... not until..."

"I get it," Hiruma's words came out steadfast and certain, though Sakura heard his voice waver at the end. "I just... needed to be sure."

Sakura nodded in understanding. "Get some rest... I may not be able to offer you any words of comfort, but stay strong. There is still hope..."

With those words, Hiruma watched her disappear into the scenery.

* * *

**Extra Notes:** Fun fact time! So skip if you wish. ^^ The story of dead bodies buried under cherry blossom trees was actually started by a really old story by Motojirou Kajii, and his phrase of "Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees!" is commonly recited during Hanami, a spring occasion where people sit under the cherry blossom trees during its full bloom to eat, drink and enjoy the scenery. The part of why cherry blossom trees are pink, though, was from a scene in Tokyo Babylon from CLAMP. It's been a while since I've watched that moment, but I remember being really fascinated by that belief, and while planning this chapter I thought it'd be good to put it in here.

Also, the dead hands sprouting from the garden is (if you haven't guessed it yet) supposed to represent the Devil Bats. But the idea of hands sprouting like flowers from the ground was not only influenced by an episode from xxxHolic, but the idea also reminded me a lot of a Vocaloid song called Fear Garden. I hope I could capture the creepiness of those hands, at least for a moment.

Lastly, I actually have a fanmix in mind for this particular fic. Which is weird, considering that this is my least popular fic, but I had a lot of songs influence the creation of this story, or songs that helped me picture the chapters better. So as to share my love for music and because I don't want to spoil anyone, I'll probably only put it up on the last chapter. But do let me know if you like this idea or even interested in suggesting songs! I would love that a lot!

Thank you again for all your support and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes:** An early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers of this fic! I had initially planned to write this chapter early next year as things have been really hectic, my laptop died on me and my office computer broke down and everything. But with God's wonderful grace, he gave me this chance to write and now, not only am I going to give you one chapter, I am giving you TWO! (Mostly cause it would be too evil to leave you all with a cliffhanger, and I initially planned to only have these two chapters as one, but in the end, it followed the usual format)

So enjoy this special arc and I really hope you have a great Christmas and New Year! It is a blessing to have all you readers and I cannot thank you enough for all the amazing support!

Much love to Elis for once more, going out of her way to edit this fic for me to post it up today. LOVE YOU LOADS!

* * *

Someone's arms were around her, covering her almost protectively. She breathed that person in, feeling her skin against his. It was tender, warm, and though she felt exhausted, she also felt more contentment than anything else.

That person was slowly pulling away now, causing Mamori to quickly reach out and place a hand on his face. He firmly placed his left hand on hers affectionately, something shiny caught her attention on his hand, but Mamori couldn't help but cry...

Because no matter how hard she tried, she could not see his face.

Mamori woke up with tears in her eyes, falling softly on her cheek. It was easier to recall her dreams now, but this one disturbed her. She was sure that a veil had been put in place upon this particular person that she so desperately wanted to recall, but she wasn't sure why.

Had she not regained enough memories for her to recall him? Maybe she would soon?

Rubbing her face dry with her sleeves, and sat up to see the sky was now a deep orange, casting a red glow on the world around her. There were only buildings, from houses to apartments and she was by the side of the road. Hiruma sat beside her, leaning against the wall of someone else's house, but to Mamori's surprise he was still asleep.

Gazing at his peaceful face, Mamori felt a warm, happy feeling fill her heart. She wasn't sure why, it was an odd feeling to have. But the more she thought about Hiruma, the more the warmth continued to grow.

"Were you really something my mind just created?" Mamori whispered. "Or are you something more? I don't know why... but I suddenly feel really glad and blessed to have you with me, especially here..." She reached out a hand towards his face. "I just wish I knew what you really mean to me."

The moment she placed a hand on the side of Hiruma's face, he instantly responded by placing a hand on top of hers. He opened his eyes and Mamori's eyes were locked on his intense green eyes once more, exactly the way he'd looked at her when she first gained consciousness in this world. They were barely breathing, only looking at each other, as if they could find the answers by doing so...

Until Hiruma finally pulled Mamori's hand away from his face, and affixed his usual grin. "Are you checking me out while I'm sleeping?"

"Wha-?" Mamori pulled away from Hiruma, feeling her face now turning warm. She wondered why she felt that way, but words suddenly poured out of her mouth, "D-don't misunderstand me! I was just worried about you! It's the first time you weren't awake when I woke up, so I was worried that something must've been wrong with you and-"

Hiruma cackled, a mixture of mirth and amusement. Mamori calmed down the moment she heard it, although she placed a hand on her heart, wondering what was wrong with it. There were definitely a lot of emotions going through her right now, and it felt awful to not be able to figure it out completely. But there was only one thing she felt certain...

That Hiruma was the cause of her uneasiness.

"Oi, are you still fucking worrying?" Hiruma spoke up, looking at her.

Mamori shook her head. "It's fine... I'll get my answers soon enough, right?" She sighed. "I know it's ridiculous to hold on to that belief, but it's all I have right now."

"Why the fuck do you want to worry about that?" Hiruma got up, holding out a hand towards her. "You have every right to believe that. And I'll see to it that you get your answers. That's why I'm here."

She stared at Hiruma's hand outstretched towards her. Familiar... everything about him felt familiar. But why and how, she still couldn't figure it out. In her confused mind, Hiruma was like an anchor, someone she could depend on when everything in the world around her made no sense. There had to be a reason for this... So as she took Hiruma's hand, Mamori told herself she would figure out more about Hiruma and the reason for his existence here in this world.

Checking their weapons, Mamori took a better look at her surroundings. It felt like they were in a suburban city now, and that this place was far away from her home or the schools she had been to. she wondered when had she come to this place, and what was the significance of being so far away from what she deemed was her usual place, when she suddenly felt a strong pull towards one of the apartment buildings.

"So I'm guessing that's our next fucking destination?" asked Hiruma as he placed his guns away and looked at the direction Mamori was looking at.

"Yeah, I feel something really strong there..." Mamori nodded. "Let's get going."

They brisk walked down the road that would lead them straight towards the apartment, but as they drew closer, Mamori could hear a strange rumbling coming from that direction.

"We're probably going to meet up with something the moment we get there," said Hiruma, who could also hear the rumbling grow louder. "I suggest you get ready."

Nodding, Mamori brandished her sword in her hands, taking firm cautious steps forward. The apartment was now just beyond the corner, the rumbling was now distinctively a growl. Whatever it was, Mamori was certain it was something big and menacing.

They stood by the corner and silently peeked to see what could be in front of the apartment. Mamori gasped as she saw a gigantic brown dog with stumpy legs. Its eyes were closed but its snores were the loud growls they could hear from afar.

"There's no way we can sneak past it," Hiruma murmured. "It's big fucking ass is blocking the way."

"I think we have to defeat it anyways... that might be what we need to do," Mamori let out a shaky breath. "But I don't like the idea of having to wake it up."

"Do you think it has a weakness?"

Mamori strained her neck a little more from the corner to take a better look at the giant dog. "I think so... I need to get closer to figure it out."

Hiruma nodded. "I'll distract the big mutt then while you figure out its weakness. Let me know if you find one and I'll create an opening for you towards it."

"Isn't it dangerous?" Mamori felt her heart sink as the image of Hiruma getting badly injured flashed before her eyes.

But Hiruma gave her a confident, evil grin. "Kekeke, don't you fucking worry about me. This should be fucking easy."

He was lying. Mamori was so sure of it. But like the many times before, Mamori knew she had little choice but to trust him. "All right... Let's do this."

They finally walked away from the corner, towards the apartment and instantly the dog's ears perked up. Mamori also realised that there was something wrong with the dog, but as the dog lifted its head, she finally understood why.

The dog didn't just lift its head... it lifted _three_ heads.

"Oh no..." Mamori gasped as all three heads looked towards them. Eyes glowing red, sharp, pointy teeth bared, it walked forward, growling even louder.

BANG!

Hiruma wasted no time in attracting its attention. All three heads looking towards him, Hiruma pushed Mamori to the side of the road, away from the dog's course as it now ran towards him.

"HIRUMA!" Mamori screamed. But Hiruma confidently rushed forward towards the dog shooting at its paws, slowing it down. Hiruma made sure the dog had all its three heads aimed straight at him, one of it swooped down to crush him. But Hiruma quickly evaded it, shooting it directly in the middle of its forehead.

Mamori felt the urge to scream some more. It was a horrific sight to see such sharp teeth aiming to crush Hiruma, who looked like nothing more than a toothpick next to the giant dog. Then one head swooped down and knocked Hiruma to the side, causing him to roll on his side down the road.

"STOP IT!" Mamori shouted as she ran forward towards them, sword held by her side.

"DON'T FUCKING COME HERE!" Hiruma shouted back as he finally stood up, looking lightly grazed but still in one piece. Despite his attempt to attract the attention of all three heads, only two were now looking at him, with one looking solely at Mamori.

That head opened its wide jaws and aimed a large bite at Mamori, but she aimed her sword forward and with what strength she had, slashed at the jaws before her, the momentum ricocheting her body away from the dog. The other two heads were still snapping ferociously at Hiruma, who was now raining bullets into them, but as he had mentioned before, his attacks had little to no effect on the creatures of this world. They seem to merely stun them temporarily.

"GET BACK ALREADY!" Hiruma shouted. "YOU'LL GET HURT!"

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU!" Mamori shouted back, resisting all urges to run. She stared right back at the red eyes glaring at her, and for a split moment felt a sense of familiarity. The feeling disappeared as the head snapped at her again, but with the other two heads trying to reach Hiruma, its body stayed planted where it was, torn between the heads. It would be comical had the situation not been so life-threateningly grave. The heads never had much of a neck to begin with so while it continued to clench its jaws towards Mamori, she stayed at a distance where the head could not reach her.

Mamori took this chance to take a better look at the three-headed dog, looking for its source. At this distance, she finally noticed a collar around it's necks. Someone owns this monstrosity? Mamori quickly looked below its neck and saw it. A red dog tag was hanging just under its furry neck where the three heads met.

That was the source.

"HIRUMA! I FOUND IT!" Mamori shouted at him. "JUST STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"

"WHAT?" Hiruma shouted back, although his eyes were focused on the two heads before him.

"STAY THERE!" Mamori kept her sword at her side for a moment, keeping her hands free.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"

Mamori didn't bother to respond. The moment the head dove towards her again, Mamori quickly ran forward and jumped towards its nose. Upon landing, she grabbed unto the bridge of its nose and felt the head shake and growl in annoyance, attracting the other two heads' attentions.

Without wasting any time, Mamori steadied her feet and rushed to the top of the dog's head. The other two heads tried to grab her, but their short necks could barely reach her, causing the three-headed dog to amble in agitated circles in an attempt to get to her.

"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY?" Hiruma yelled, his shots no longer arresting even the slightest bit of their attention now they were solely focused on getting Mamori off their back.

She had reached the dog's collar and keeping both hands to the sides of the giant collar, she slid down towards the dog tag. The heads were going crazy at this point, jumping and growling, barking and gnawing.

Despite having reached the dog tag, Mamori struggled to let one hand go. The dog kept moving and jumping and she felt sure she was going to fall if she let even one hand go to reach for her sword. Her grip was getting weaker... there was no time.

Taking a deep breath, Mamori swung her body back and forward, back and forward, until she felt sure she had the right momentum...

And let go...

Her aim was slightly off as the dog had jumped at that moment, but Mamori quickly grabbed her sword and pointed it straight towards the tag. In a split moment, she felt that she had cut something, and she noticed the dog tag was falling with her. It had not broken yet.

Mamori felt herself fall harshly on the ground, knocking her out of her senses for a moment. She was right under the dog now, she could hear its heavy paws around her. She could also hear Hiruma shouting at her, distantly. She couldn't tell what he was shouting... _Get out of there? Are you fucking stupid?_

_... Mamori?_

Mamori gasped as she finally gained enough consciousness to notice the dog tag was just before her. The dog with three heads could clearly see her now and no matter how many bullets Hiruma rained on them, or how he was practically at their range to be crushed by their sharp jaws, they refused to look at him.

They were only looking at Mamori, and the dog tag.

One head was rushing towards her, jaws wide open. Mamori let out a shriek as she quickly grabbed her sword and ran towards the dog tag. The head's sharp teeth were just inches from her body when she finally raised her sword and stabbed the dog tag. A sharp crack tore the air asunder.

There was a loud howl and a bright red light filled the area, causing Mamori to close her eyes. A strong wind swept past them momentarily, before silence finally settled upon them.

Mamori breathed heavily as the dog tag disappeared under her sword. She looked around and found Hiruma running towards her. He was angry, very angry, and she could already hear his curse filled words flung at her. She closed her eyes, expecting a possible slap.

But what she felt instead was his arms wrapped around her tightly. "You fucking crazy, stupid, careless, mess of a woman!" he breathed sharply into her ear. "Don't you fucking dare do that shit again! I can't lose y—" He stopped himself instantly, though Mamori felt his hold on her tighten even more.

There it was again, that warm, comforting feeling in her heart. Mamori frowned, unsure of what to do, what this feeling was. But she lifted her arms just a little to return his embrace. "I'm sorry..." she whispered.

BARK!

They pulled away for a moment to see the source of that sound, and found the dog that they had fought earlier was at their feet, smaller, with one head and looking at them with angry eyes. As Mamori stared at the dog, slowly memories of the little mutt that brought the Deimon Devil Bats a lot of terror and trouble began to surface.

"Cerberus!" she cried with glee as she quickly went on her knees to pet the dog. The dog licked her hand in return and seemed to crawl into Mamori's arms. "Oh, Cerberus! I can't believe that I forgot you! You were such a scary creature just now!"

The dog let out a low growl as he now pulled himself away from Mamori and stared at her intently. Then he stared at Hiruma, whose face held utter disinterest for the dog. Cerberus made a move to approach him, but it made Hiruma frown even more.

"What's wrong?" asked Mamori, though the question seemed to be towards both Cerberus and Hiruma.

"Fucking hate dogs," said Hiruma, still glaring at Cerberus. The dog sat down in front of Hiruma, still looking at him. Mamori stood up, curious at the sight before her.

Hiruma broke eye contact with the dog to look at Mamori. "Aren't you fucking sleepy?"

"Eh?" Now that Hiruma mentioned it, usually after defeating the source, Mamori would instantly feel drowsy and sleep. But... "No... Strangely enough, I don't feel tired at all. I recalled Cerberus, but I don't think that was the main thing I was supposed to remember here." Mamori looked towards the apartment. "I think it's somewhere in there..."

Cerberus got up and trotted towards the apartment entrance. He growled at them as if to follow. "Ah, I think Cerberus can lead us there..." Mamori walked forward.

A hand reached out towards Mamori's arm. Hiruma held her back, his expression a peculiar mix of worry that he was struggling to keep hidden. "I don't think it's a good idea..."

"Hiruma...?" Mamori murmured, wondering why he looked so worried. It was an expression she felt sure she'd never seen before and for some reason, that worried her. Cerberus let out a bark, calling out to them. She looked at Hiruma more intently. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. Besides, I'm awake now, and it isn't even night time yet, so that means there's still something I have to do, right?"

Hiruma opened his mouth to protest but soon clenched his jaws, knowing nothing he could say would stop her. There was only one path before them, and all he could do was follow as Mamori trailed after Cerberus and walked up the stairs.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes:** And here is the last chapter written this year for this fic. If all goes well, I have 3 more chapters to work until this fic is done! I'm really quite excited to write the next few chapters as it was planning this particular ending that led me to even plan the beginning and what goes in between. I can only hope that it is a satisfactory end for you all.

In this chapter, my biggest fear is that Hiruma is too OOC for most of you to handle. I do hope the situation he's going through comes out stronger here, and you appreciate my intent on making him this way. If you have any issues at all, don't hesitate to leave me a comment and let me know.

Until my next chapter... enjoy!

* * *

They walked up three flights of stairs before Cerberus led them down the alleyway, passing by a number of apartments. Mamori looked around her in fascination, wondering how this was linked to her past and what memories resided here. Did someone she knew live here?

Maybe her important person?

The possibility that this could finally lead her to remembering her important person made Mamori pick up her pace, although Hiruma seemed to be dragging his feet, lagging behind. "Hiruma, come on," Mamori urged him on, but Hiruma merely shrugged and walked at his usual pace.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mamori asked as he caught up with her.

"I..." Hiruma hesitated, as he looked away at the scenery before them. At the height of the level they were on, they had a view of the rest of the world around them, though Mamori could tell that it was limited. Other than a few buildings around, there was nothing beyond but an orange lit sky.

"Come on, Hiruma," Mamori urged him on. "If you have something to say, you should say it."

He looked at her, clearly struggling with his own emotions. The mask he had on before was crumbling, and there was this constant worry in his eyes that wouldn't leave. "I just think this doesn't feel right..." he finally said.

Mamori could sense there was more to it than what he had said, but he had no intention of saying anymore. She gently reached out and held Hiruma's hand, smiling assuringly as she slowly pulled him towards Cerberus, who was now sitting in front one of the doors. "It'll be all right..." she told him. "Everything will be all right."

Hiruma gripped Mamori's hand tightly at those words, to which Mamori responded instinctively by holding his just as tight. Pulling her gaze away from his face, Mamorimoved to stand in front of the door Cerberus was looking at and released her grip on Hiruma. Looking at the door carefully, she noticed that it was slightly ajar. She then looked at the other doors that were locked tightly, and wondered why this particular one was open.

"I suppose we have to go in here..." said Mamori. She pushed the door open and took a good look inside. As it had gotten darker, she could barely see anything but outlines of furniture and decorations around the apartment. "It's really dark..."

Cerberus had walked before her and was scratching the wall beside her. Mamori was confused at first until she noticed there was a switch. She flipped it up and light instantly washed over the apartment, revealing a small yet comfortable home. Mamori walked further inside, although Hiruma seemed to be rooted at the door, obviously reluctant to set even a foot into the apartment.

Mamori turned towards him. Seeing him like this filled Mamori with dread. If this place could affect Hiruma this badly... then how would it affect her too?

But for now, she knew she had to press on. "Hiruma, come in, it's all right. We're together... we'll find the answers together, right?"

Hiruma inhaled sharply, then took a step in. He also looked around the place curiously, though he seemed to be in pain. "Keh, what a tiny looking place," he spoke up. "Are you sure you have memories built around here? You must have had bad taste."

Mamori frowned, though she supposed it was a childish reaction. "Hiruma, that's not nice. I think the place looks quaint and lovely. I really like it here..." Mamori looked around and noticed the place was almost bare with just the basic necessities needed. Couches and a carpet in the hall, a simple curtain by the balcony, a small kitchen by the side with a dining table...

Papers littered the dining table alongside two mugs. Mamori approached it curiously, wondering what papers would be doing there. She picked one up and there was a name she didn't recognise, a player from Zokutou College and written were his statistics on speed, strength, even agility, and other information such as his tactics on the field. Mamori was confused and picked up other papers, some similar to the one she initially picked up, others were circles and lines with notes added to them. "These are plans... for a game?"

Then her eyes were drawn to the mugs that sat comfortably by the side, papers surrounding them. One was a plain black mug, but the other was white with bear motifs on it. "Two people..." Mamori whispered. "Two people lived here..."

Mamori felt as if she was on the verge of something important. She looked around her some more, and then noticed the trophies on a cabinet near one of the rooms. She read what was written on them... all of them were trophies for games on American Football.

_Just a bit more..._ She knew she was close to something. Hiruma stood still in the hall, refusing to move, merely watching her. But Mamori didn't care, she knew she could figure this out on her own. One of the trophies caught her eye. It was silver and had a life sized shape football on it. She looked at what was written on the plaque... "The Christmas Bowl..." Mamori almost gasped.

Then she heard a loud thud, and she turned to see that Cerberus had fallen right in front of the room beside her. "Cerberus!" Mamori cried as she bent down and picked the now limp dog, whining and looking disoriented. "Cerberus! What's wrong?"

That was when she noticed Cerberus was disappearing,her hands showing through his translucent body. "Oh Cerberus," Mamori's eyes began to tear up. "Not you too..."

Cerberus looked at her, his usual evil eyes replaced with sadness. The dog pointed with his nose inside the room, as though to urge her on, and with that he disappeared right before Mamori.

The dread inside Mamori seemed to grow tenfold. She allowed two tears to fall before quickly rubbing them away, and steadying herself with one long breath.

"I think you should stop..." Hiruma spoke up in the silence. While he said it softly, his words felt harsh to her.

"No," Mamori insisted, though her voice was shaky. "No, there's got to be something here. Something important... even Cerberus knew it."

"He's just a fucking mutt, I wouldn't trust him," said Hiruma as he approached her. He reached out to her, but Mamori evaded him, standing abruptly and glaring at him.

"He's not just some mutt!" Mamori cried. "He was someone important to me too! Why else would I have recalled him? He was linked to something bigger, something incredibly precious to me and I won't stop until I find it!"

"You're just wasting your fucking time," Hiruma replied as calmly as possible.

"Why are you so against this, Hiruma?" Mamori was practically shouting at this point, but she didn't care. "I thought you were going to help and support me in order to gain back my memories, but you seem to be against this one!"

"Because you're not meant to fucking remember this!" Hiruma shouted back, although he seemed shaken by his words. "I mean... you already remembered that fucking mutt, there shouldn't be anything else!"

"Then why am I still here, Hiruma? Why am I still awake? Why do I still feel as if there's something I need to find? You told me to trust my instincts, didn't you? Why do you doubt me now?" Mamori struggled to stop the rush of questions bursting to come out at that point.

"Because..." Hiruma bit his lip, revealing a sharp pointy tooth that triggered Mamori's desire to find the truth even more. Then she saw his eyes wander into the room behind her, staring directly at something. She turned to see that it was a picture on top of a dressing table, but because it was too dark, she couldn't see what it was of. Without speaking any further, Mamori marched into the room and searched for a switch.

"Stop..." Hiruma seemed to have lost his voice. Mamori found the switch and flipped it on to reveal the contents of the picture. Mamori walked in further and picked up the picture, studying the image.

"Damn it, stop!" Hiruma felt like he was choking on his own saliva.

The image was a group photo of the Deimon Devil Bats. She recognised every single one of them, except for one whose image was shrouded by a shadow. Mamori cursed inwardly, obviously feeling very frustrated at this point, until she noticed that in this picture she was standing very close to the mystery person, and looked almost embarrassed to be standing next to him. The person that she loved was someone from the Deimon Devil Bats? A Football player? As she mentally cut off the role of each player she knew, she figured out that this mystery person played Quarterback.

_Almost there..._ She looked at the dressing table and found another picture. This time it was just her and the mystery person, and she looked a little older here, with longer hair and a very content smile on her face. It was someone whom she followed until college? And judging by the different uniform and the fact that it had the same number as his high school jersey, he was a Quarterback too, Mamori was sure of it.

She looked around the room and noticed the bed. A queen sized bed, with cream coloured quilts and pillows. Mamori inhaled sharply, as though she was being stabbed. Something important had happened here... right in this very room.

And then she felt it, in the drawers of one of the dressing table. What she was looking for was right in there...

But as she reached out to it, another thought crossed her mind...

Football...

Judging by the plans and strategies scattered across the table, the person important to her was someone who was a good tactician, especially in Football. And hadn't the person beside her in this world played football when they had to fight against the mannequin football players? And he was good? He had a good grasp of the tactics needed for Football. If Mamori remembered correctly, his style of play was similar to that...

Of a Quarterback.

Mamori let out a terrified gasp as she turned to look at Hiruma, who was still by the door, struggling to breathe. "It... can't be..." she whispered.

"Don't open that!" Hiruma reached out to her, pleading.

No, she was so close... But she could feel all the energy within her draining as she turned to pull the drawer out and see the content... Her time was up.

Mamori began to cry as she felt her body give out, though she kept her grip on the handle of the drawer. She fell straight to the floor and heard the contents in the drawer fall before her. Her eyes were closing now, and her sight was blurred by the tears in her eyes. A velveteen box sat right before her, and as exhaustion claimed her, Mamori let out a sob.

_"MAMORI!"_

Her most important person was...

oOo

Hiruma felt as if his heart was being ripped out there and then. He continued to choke, struggling to breathe, and watched in horror as the world he was in was now shrouded in darkness. "Fuck..." he cursed, slowly regaining his breath. "Fuck!"

No matter where he looked, all he could see was darkness. "God damn it," he cursed as he got up. "Not this shit again..."

A blurry image appeared before her. A sight Hiruma had seen many times before this, and one that continued to haunt him.

"Ah, you're up! Good morning!"

"No... Shit!" Hiruma took a step back, but the image drew closer instead.

A woman with long brown hair wrapped tightly on a chopstick on the back of her head had her back towards him, washing the dishes in a kitchen he had just seen a few minutes ago. "Your breakfast is on the table. It's a big day for you, isn't it? I really hope it goes well for you. I'll get your coffee soon, hold on."

Hiruma watched as the woman reached out for two mugs, one black and one white with a bear motif on it, and filled it with coffee she had brewed earlier. He could see her face now, smiling though worn and tired.

"There we go!" she placed the black mug on the table before him. "Call me and let me know how it goes, okay? Whatever it is, I'm here to support you."

Hiruma stared at the mug before him, resisting the urge to throw it off the table.

"Eh? What do you mean? Oh... you've noticed." He watched her push loose strands of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I've been having some trouble at the kindergarten. Oh, it really isn't a big deal! It's just that I'm really worried about one of my students... I don't know what to do anymore." Then she laughed and proceeded to pick up a cloth to wipe the tables. "But you don't have to worry about that, you have the NFL to look forward to! ... What? Are you sure you still want to know? I mean you have more important things to do..." She smiled as she washed her hands. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be keeping it in. I'll tell it to you tonight, okay? Yes, it can wait! Stop worrying about me!"

The woman was approaching him now, hands outstretched towards him. Hiruma wanted to take a step back, but his feet were frozen to where he was. A ghostly hand touched his face, keeping his eyes locked on the ghostly figure before him. "I'll see you tonight, okay?

I love you."

Hiruma shut his eyes and let out a shout of anger, "FUCK!" he cursed out loud, for he knew what was going to happen next.

The woman's voice was becoming distorted. Darkness closed in and the woman was engulfed in it, and she seemed to be choking, gasping, her eyes milky white. "Why did this happen to me?" the woman cried out, screaming as her arms reached out, desperate to grab anything as the darkness continued to swallow her. "What did I do to deserve this? Please, help me! I can't... I can't... someone... anyone...!"

Hiruma gasped, trying to breathe. He could feel hot tears trailing down his face. "No, don't make me...!"

The woman had now grabbed Hiruma's wrist, her hair flowing wildly behind her, only to be fully swallowed by the darkness. She lifted Hiruma's wrist until his palm cradled her neck. Hiruma stared at the milky white eyes that had no expression, but it had the face of someone he loved so dearly.

And watched as she uttered the words, "Please... kill me."

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Hiruma screamed as he pulled out one of his guns and shot straight into the face of the ghostly figure, leaving holes until there was nothing left. An anguished scream filled his ears as the darkness finally dissolved to reveal the apartment he was in earlier.

Hiruma fell on his knees and crawled his way towards Mamori, feeling weak. She was still unconscious and her face was stained with tears, but Hiruma grabbed her and held her close, struggling to breathe as he could not hold his tears anymore.

Sakura had just appeared before him. "Hiruma-san..."

"Don't come any closer..." Hiruma growled, struggling to regain his senses.

"It's all right, what you saw was just a dream..."

"I KNOW!" Hiruma barked back, though he refused to look up as he didn't want her to see his tear stained face. "I've had that dream countless times! Ever since... ever since..."

Sakura fought back her own tears as she watched Hiruma pull Mamori closer to him, as if he was afraid she would disappear right before him. "The darkness took advantage of you the moment Anezaki-san almost found out about you. They knew you were going to be weak... It's not your fault."

"Then whose is it, Fucking Magician?" Hiruma couldn't control the anger in his voice, nor the harsh loud tone he said it in.

Sakura took a deep breath. "It is mine. I saw this being possible, yet I couldn't stop it. Anezaki-san's will to find you was too strong for me to break through. I should have stepped in the moment she remembered your dog, Cerberus. I didn't know the dog was strong enough to try and lead her to you, the real you, and that mistake was mine alone."

Hiruma's breathing grew calmer upon hearing her words. "No... it wasn't your fucking fault alone. I just stood and watched as she put the pieces together... Didn't do a fucking thing. Because a part of me..." Sakura saw tears fall off his chin as he hid his face further from her. "A part of me really did want her to remember me..."

Sakura stepped forward and knelt down. She wrapped her arms around Hiruma's head and held him close, assuring him that she had no intention of looking at his face. "Your pain and sorrow is just as severe as hers. I'm sorry that you both have to go through all this, but you bear the heavier burden, because you know... because you remember... and that knowledge will haunt you forever..."

"Think I'm fucking foolish to want her to remember it all?"

"Not at all. She must know, if you want her to live."

"What if she doesn't want to live? What if she'd rather die, forgetting?"

Sakura pulled away from Hiruma and looked straight at Mamori, gently stroking the side of her face. "When you came to me, do you remember what you said? That there was no way she was too weak to withstand what she should be facing. Well, you said it with a lot more curse words..." Sakura smiled. "But you believed in her. You had faith in her. And right now, she needs you to have that faith for a little longer..."

"A little...?" Hiruma didn't look up, though he was undoubtedly curious.

"Yes, I saw it. You have your last challenge to face. I cannot see what happens next but... I do bring bad news... for you. Hiru—"

Hiruma quickly placed one palm on Sakura's mouth, not wanting to hear anymore. "I don't need your fucking fortune telling right now, Fucking Magician. I paid my price, didn't I? I know what's to come. In fact..."

Pulling his hand away, he picked up a velveteen box lying just beside him and held it out to Sakura. "Here. I believe this is also part of the price, isn't it?"

Sakura resisted the urge to laugh, so she smiled as she held Hiruma's palm and forced his fingers to close around the velveteen box. "I've already received your payment. I do not need anymore."

"You mean this isn't part of my payment?"

"No, this belongs to Anezaki-san. If it is necessary for me to take it, I will. But only when the two of us strike a her in this state, that isn't currently possible. So I suggest you hold on to it, because I think it'll be important for what's going to happen next."

Hiruma took a deep breath as he pocketed the velveteen box. His tears had finally stopped, though he still refused to raise his head. "I admire you, Hiruma-san," said Sakura.

"What the fuck for?"

"Because you're one of the strongest people I know. You may claim to be physically weak, but you have a strong heart and mind, and that's what's pulling you through. Anezaki-san is blessed to have you. Just as she was a blessing to you."

Hiruma heard her get up and walk away, disappearing as the world around them began to disappear to the colourful mess it was. Hiruma looked at the bed beside them for a moment before it disappeared, knowing full well the significance of that bed, before pulling Mamori's face closer to his and whispered, "Just a little more..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes:** Gah, my planning skills are awful once again. I thought I could finish this fic in 14 chapters. Nope, whether this is good or bad, this is ending in 15 chapters. I hope. Sometimes in the midst of writing a chapter my mind decides to make a cutoff point and refuses to write more, which is what happened here, and that's why there's an additional chapter. I always tell myself I could write more, but I feel a lot more content ending it this way.

Which means an awful cliffhanger for you all, I apologise. -_- I'll do my best to post the next chapter soon! Hopefully it'll be a lot longer than this.

Until then, enjoy! Here's the first part of the finale! A big thank you to Elis once more for going through this chapter for me!

* * *

Mamori could barely see where she was as darkness surrounded her, threatening to overwhelm her and merely biding its time. She stood still, wondering what was going on. Was this a dream? Or had she woken up? Where was Hiruma then?

The sound of weeping echoed somewhere in the distance before her, it sounded like a small child crying. Then she heard something else behind her. A variety of voices, screaming, pleading, crying out to her.

_Come back!_

She could feel light, invisible hands on her back and on her shoulders holding on to her, pulling her backwards. That was when she realised she was in the middle of a flight of stairs as the sole of her foot struck the edge of the step she was on. The pull to go down grew stronger...

Yet she found herself taking one step up.

Her heart was beating frantically, the air felt heavy, making it harder to breathe. The invisible hands had now disappeared with every step she took forward, filling her heart with sadness and dread_. What am I doing? Why am I doing this?_

The cries pleading for her return grew distant as the sound of weeping grew stronger. There was nothing pulling her there, yet her legs continued to move forward... until she saw a door at the top of the stairs. A faint light shining behind the door, where the weeping child must be.

It was such an ominous sign yet she could not stop herself from going closer. Suddenly it occurred to her. The child could be calling for her! But why were her legs still so heavy? Why did her heart hurt with each step forward?

As she got closer to the door, she heard another sound join the sobbing behind it. Crackling, hissing, snapping... There was also a familiar smell, one that made her gasp and panic. She was terrified but rather than running away, it prompted her to open the door as quickly as possible...

A scream greeted her before she saw the flames envelope around her, the smoke filled her lungs, choking her as she coughed and spluttered to breathe. She was in so much pain, but her eyes looked around, desperately seeking something... until she saw the silhouette of a young girl burning in the fire, arms outstretched, far from Mamori's reach. Her scream echoed through the room as the fire ate them both, but Mamori held her hands out, the fire now consuming her arm that was turning black. The pain finally took over, causing her to black out and fall...

Her eyes shot wide open as she took in a deep breath of cold air. Cold sweat clung to her body as she scrambled to sit up and look around her. She was in a zoo themed playground, a slide that looked like an elephant, a swing with butterfly shapes around it, a see-saw shaped like a bunny... that was all she could make out it in the darkness.

It was still dark. "No, no, please tell me I'm awake!" her voice shook as she stood up.

"Oi, what's wrong?"

Mamori turned behind her to see Hiruma, who was just standing up from where he had obviously been sleeping. Without even thinking, Mamori ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. "Did you fucking hurt yourself? What's wrong with you?" Hiruma asked her as he tried to pull her away so he could take a better look at her, but Mamori tightened her grip.

"I'm fine," he heard her muffled voice against his shoulder. "No, I don't know... Just let me hold you for a while..."

Wordlessly, Hiruma wrapped an arm around Mamori's waist. She wasn't crying, he was sure. But she was definitely shaking, and could barely stand. "Was it a nightmare this round? Do you remember it?"

She nodded as she slowly pulled her head away from his shoulder, though her arms were still wrapped around his neck. "I remember... walking up this flight of stairs, even though I should have gone down. And there was fire all around me when I reached up... It was painful! I felt like my skin was melting... I couldn't breathe. I saw someone else burning in the fire, but I couldn't do anything... I just stood there and... and..."

Hiruma bent down and leaned his forehead against hers. "It's fine... you're awake."

"But it's still dark!" she cried as her eyes were filled with terror. "I thought... I just couldn't..."

"You woke up too fucking early," Hiruma cocked his head to the right. "Look."

Mamori looked at the direction he was looking in and saw the tinge of yellow in the distant sky. The sight caught her breath for a moment, and her grip on Hiruma loosened. She had always woken up deep in the night or in the middle of the day and she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing initially.

For what had seemed like a long time, she was actually seeing the sun rise.

Hiruma tried to pull away from her at this point, taking a step back. But unconsciously Mamori grabbed the front of his shirt and looked at him. There was a deep look of pain on Hiruma's face, another sight that baffled her. She had never seen him this pained just to be with her... Was he leaving her?

Her heart ached, causing her to say, "Stay with me."

Hiruma clenched his teeth as he looked away, gathering whatever determination he could to finally raise a hand to Mamori's that was still gripping his shirt, and entangled it in his. "Come on," he finally said with a familiar grin. "We might as well get a damned better view."

Hands still linked, Hiruma led her away from the playground and walked down another path that seemed familiar to Mamori. Then they walked up some steps by the path and she found herself on a road, but it was by the riverbank this time. She'd been here before, a memory which, from what she could recall, was comforting despite still being incomplete. And there in the distance, a part of the sun winked before her as more colours began to appear in the sky. From the darkness behind her, to a dark blue, coupled with purple and light blue, and near the sun, shades of yellow and orange grew stronger with each second passing.

Hiruma led her down towards the riverbank and made her sit next to him on the grass, his hand still holding hers, not letting go. Finally seated, Mamori was entranced by the sight before her, engrossed as the sun continued to reveal more of itself to her. She wasn't sure why the sight of the sun rising fascinated her so much, but the longer she watched it, the more she felt its warmth reach out to her.

"It'll be all right..." whispered Mamori, as she leaned her head on the side of Hiruma's shoulder, taking in the sight and sounds of her surroundings.

"Huh?"

"That's what I feel like the sun is telling me," she explained. "The fact that it could still rise after what I saw, after the complete hopelessness and fear that consumed me... it feels like it's telling me, despite being in this crazy world that I'm in, that everything will be all right. I'll pull through... it's okay."

Hiruma didn't say anything, though he leaned against Mamori a little more as well, watching the sun fully rise in the east and slowly making its way to the middle of the sky. The days passed too quickly in this world...

"I think this is the courage that I'll need to face whatever's happening today, isn't it?" Mamori took a deep, shaky breath. "Somehow, after today's dream, I just know I'm finally going to face the root of why I'm in this state and finally remem..." An image flashed before Mamori... a bed, a velveteen box... but it quickly disappeared. "... ber..."

"Oi," Hiruma looked at her dazed expression with concern.

Shaking her head, Mamori smiled and said, "Another memory I can't recall. I'll remember it eventually. We'll win this soon enough, right, Hiruma?"

One hand still holding hers, Hiruma placed his other hand on Mamori's cheek and made her look at him. "Listen to me fucking carefully... and out of everything, I want you to remember this. YOU have to be the one to win this. No matter what happens to me, just keep fighting. The people you love are waiting for you."

The seriousness in Hiruma's eyes and tone scared her for a moment. "What are you saying? You'll fight alongside with me until the end... right?"

Hiruma had his mask on, she could tell. With his grin and confidence back in place, he said, "Are you forgetting that I'm just something your mind created to help you out of here? At some point, I will disappear, mostly cause you won't need a fucking imaginary friend like me and you can fight on your own. When that happens, remember my words."

Mamori pressed her lips together, fighting off the urge to shout at him, telling him he wasn't just some creation. But she just couldn't justify that feeling, for he really was a creation of her mind in this setting, like the river and even the sunset before them. Despite how much his existence fascinated her, his existence was just that.

Yet she couldn't shake off the fear of losing him.

Swallowing hard, she nodded and then continued to watch the sun climb higher into the sky, holding Hiruma's hand tightly in his.

They soon decided it was time to move on and face today's obstacle. They walked back to the playground to pick up their weapons, and then Mamori looked around and decided to go in a different direction than the one they were on earlier. This time, they walked deeper into the neighbourhood.

They were silent the whole way, though they marched side by side so they could at least walk together at the same pace. It wasn't much, but it was comforting for Mamori to have him beside her. Then Mamori saw a low yet wide building before them, with enough space for a playground within its compounds and a garden on the other side. There was a sign in front of the building and Mamori read it aloud, "Yomogi Kindergarten."

"It's here..." said Hiruma. It was a statement, not a question, which made Mamori curious. Did he know they would eventually reach this place?

Mamori was about to take a step into the compound when she found her feet frozen on the spot. Her body was terrified. "W-what?" she murmured as she looked at her shaking knees. "I can't..."

Hiruma walked past the entrance of the kindergarten easily and then looked at her. "I guess a part of you is still fucking scared of this place," he said to her with a cold expression.

"H-huh? N-no! It can't be! I don't even remember much of this place!" Mamori tried to urge her trembling legs forward but could only barely move an inch. "Hiruma, help me!"

"No, stay there," he replied as he pulled out his guns and marched purposefully into the kindergarten. "If you're still afraid then there's something you need to face right here."

"I don't get it..." Mamori couldn't stop shaking. "W-why are you doing this, Hiru—"

A burst of flames suddenly swept around the gates of the kindergarten, high pitched screams could be heard mingling in with the crackling flames. At first it was one large ring of fire circling the kindergarten like a barrier, but soon it grew taller, separated and each flame took its shape...

As young children.

Hiruma stood on the opposite side of the fire, and without saying any words of comfort or orders on what to do, he turned his back on her and proceeded to walk into the building. "HIRUMA!" Mamori called after him. "HIRUMA, WAIT!"

But the more she tried to move forward even by an inch, the closer the fires came, arms outstretched, screaming at her. The memory of her skin melting and the fire eating at her kept Mamori rooted to the spot, a part of her screaming silently in fear, unable to even grab her sword.

All she could do was stare at the fire that terrified her, and wonder why Hiruma had abandoned her.

oOo

Hiruma heard her calling out to him, but he steeled his resolve and marched on inside the building. _She's going to be all right_, he told himself despite a part of him screaming in anger, body slowly throbbing in pain. _She'll pull through_...

For now, there was something more important to face and he was running out of time. He looked at the few rooms around him, recognising them and knowing which room to go into. He approached the one at the deeper end of the hallway and opened the door.

It seemed normal enough for a classroom. The blackboard, the chairs and mats, the organ and drawings on the wall... everything was where it should be. Until he looked at the end of the room and found what he was looking for.

"I knew you'd be here," he grinned as he walked into the classroom.

Sitting on the tiny locker cabinets at the end of the room was a girl, dressed in a black jacket, black skirt and black boots, a sword lying next to her on those cabinets. She was looking down so that all Hiruma could see was the light brown hair that was cut in a short bob around her neck. But the moment she heard Hiruma's voice, she raised her head and smiled...

With Mamori's face.

"You're not supposed to be here," she said in Mamori's voice, though Hiruma thought the expression of glee did not suit such a face. "Where are you keeping the girl? I must have her."

"You won't see her yet..." said Hiruma as he held his guns out at her. "Not until you fucking answer my questions first and go through me."

"That means I'll have to kill you, right?" Then she broke into a high pitched laughter, using her true voice now that was deep and murky. "Easy! I'll claim you soon enough when I'm done with you and that girl!"

Hiruma cocked his gun, grin in place, "You can fucking try."

Barely a second later, the girl grabbed her sword and rushed towards Hiruma.

BANG!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes:** I'm so sorry for all of you who have been waiting for this chapter! I realise now that for my chaptered fics it takes about a month for each one to be released, as not only do I have TWO chaptered fics to work on, but I do write HiruMamo one shots when I get the chance. And I still need a break here and there as real life is starting to put loads of pressure on me, so I have a lot on my plate.

But as I have promised before, I am NOT giving up on this fic, so don't worry. Just be patient with me a little more, and I promise you I will have the next chapter of this fic done soon enough. If you're wondering which fic I might be working on in that week, come check out my twitter (look at my profile) as I will post what I'm writing on as well as how far it's done and if it's been sent to Elis to go through. Bless her, she's still doing her best to support me despite being busy herself!

Until then, enjoy this chapter and err... don't... kill me... I'll talk a bit more at the end of it. XD

* * *

Mamori could not believe this was happening to her. Especially now at a time where she knew she most needed to fight back. The flame-like children were approaching her, and yet her feet felt frozen to the ground. Despite being able to retain a firm grip on her sword, it felt heavy and made her arm lie limp at her side. And no matter how close the flames were, or how terribly hot it was getting, her eyes kept darting towards the kindergarten, her heart aching at the fact that Hiruma had just left her on her own.

_Why...?_

One of the flame children reached out and grabbed her wrist, causing her to scream out in pain and stumble, falling flat on her back. She quickly sat up and tried to swipe one of the approaching flames with her sword, but her arm still felt sluggishly heavy and the sword merely made a feeble stab as if through a mirage. She began to feel a ring of pain around her wrist, she wasn't sure how badly burnt she was, but she knew there wasn't going to be anything she could do if she didn't try to help herself now. The flames were approaching her, what looked like their arms reaching for her legs...

_Why... why can't my body move...? What am I so scared of...?_

BANG!

Mamori gasped as she heard a gunshot go off inside the kindergarten. Her back straightened and she instinctively tried to stand up, desperately trying to get a glimpse of him and hoping to figure out what was going on inside. But then her legs buckled once more as small flame hands got hold of her ankles and legs.

She screamed. But she realised it wasn't out of pain, but out of a deep, cold fear she never recalled having before. The flames were bringing out flashes of memories, each one passing so quickly, each giving her short moments of sharp white pain that stunned her and blinded her vision temporarily.

This terrified her. She cried out before finally falling straight back on her back, so afraid to move, allowing the pain to claim her. There was nothing she could do. She was going to be burnt, and everything would be over. Hiruma wasn't with her to save her now, and no amount of hope she could muster could help her up. It was all over.

_Sensei..._

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the gray sky above her. Wasn't it sunny before? Ah... but it'll soon turn dark... and then...

_Sensei, pull yourself together!_

_Help us!_

_Don't give up!_

Whose voices were those? She could hear more gunshots in the distance, fading as her eyesight blurred with tears. She could feel the flames reaching up to her torso as she lay on the ground, unable to scream despite the scorching pain. Was the darkness taking over now? But who was talking to her?

_Sensei, please don't go! Come back to us!_

_Save us, sensei! We're so scared!_

_Don't leave us, sensei!_

_**Anezaki-sensei!**_

Mamori felt herself being pulled out of her dark thoughts with each call towards her. Her sight cleared but the lower part of her body still felt heavy. She lifted her head to see a nest of flames lying on her body, but she could see the outlines of children's heads looking at her as the voices grew louder, accompanied with sobs of fear.

_Sensei, why is this happening?_

_What happened to you, sensei?_

_Sensei!_

Despite the fact that they were nothing but flames, and they were burning her, Mamori pushed herself to sit up. Whoever they were, they were crying out to her tearfully... and she was certain now that they were children that were familiar to her. Whose children? How did she know them? Every time she tried to recall those memories, a sharp white pain would hit her, each one bringing her close to passing out.

The sound of gunshots grew more frantic within the kindergarten. She had to do something quick.

She looked at the flames, slowly forcing herself to face the agony it was bringing and reached out a hand towards one of the flamed heads.

"Don't cry..." she whispered, her mouth finally able to form words though her mind felt completely blank. "I'm right here... Sensei is right here... so don't..."

The pain had become unbearable now. Mamori let out a cry, and began to sob herself. She coughed and gasped as she felt her vision finally leave her, until all she could feel were just tears running down her cheeks and the flames eating her up. The children were now screaming.

_Don't cry._

Mamori thought it was finally the end, as she could see nothing but darkness. She didn't feel the flames anymore. The pain had disappeared and the places where the flames once were on her body felt cool and comforting... but instead of reverting back into that feeling of nothingness, another feeling began to surface. A familiar one...

Mamori quickly opened her eyes to see the gray sky once more, but this time she was greeted by rain drops falling gently upon her. Still lying on the ground confused, she clenched her fist, slowly feeling her strength coming back. Finally, she felt herself fully returning into this world.

She gasped as she sat up, and found small shadows before her, there were quiet sobs and cries as the shadows continued to look at her. _Sensei...?_ she heard one of them say.

Mamori continued to cry, though she smiled through her sobs. Hiruma's words of comfort, of it being all right to cry came to her. "Hey, everyone," she spoke to the shadows as they continued to look at her. "I know at times... that it's important to be strong. All the adults will tell you that because they want to be strong for you too. But... you know..." She felt a mix of emotions fill her and she began cry harder. Her voice strained as she continued, "It's all right to be weak. It's all right to be sad once in a while. The sun will come out soon enough... so for now... Sensei... Sensei will..."

The scenery changed and Mamori could see the shadows change into actual children. To her surprise, they ran up to her and each one did their best to hold her, hug her as they screamed excitedly, "Anezaki-sensei!"

Mamori looked around her and soon memories of her time as a kindergarten teacher trickled into her mind. The times she would teach the alphabets, the times she would sing along with another teacher who played the organ, the times she would try to help her students draw cute animals only to be greeted with laughter...

Mamori cried some more. That's right... this one was clear to her.

She was a Kindergarten Teacher.

"Sensei, why are you still crying?" asked one of the little girls. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Hana-chan," Mamori laughed as she brushed the girl's cheek. "I'm crying because I'm happy. I don't know why you all can hold me, but it means so much to me to have you all here."

"Sensei, why did you leave us?" asked one of the boys who was hugging her from the back.

"Yeah, we were all so scared when you left!" said another boy.

"I don't know, Yuu-chan, Kazu-chan," Mamori slowly wiped her tears away. "I'm hoping I'll find out what really happened."

"Sensei! I know you'll come back to us! We're waiting for you!" cried one of the girls.

"Thank you, Tama-chan," Mamori smiled at them happily. "I'll do my best to come back."

"Sensei!"

Mamori turned to see one boy who didn't come to hug her but stood near the gates of the kindergarten. He smiled at her confidently with his messy brown hair and brown eyes. "You'll definitely come back, Anezaki-sensei. You've come this far and we all believe in you! But right now your most important person needs you. And also... you need to save one more person."

"One more?" Mamori looked at him curiously. "What do you mean, Tsu-chan?"

The boy pointed straight at Mamori at first, then he turned and pointed inside the kindergarten and the scenery returned into its gray state. The children had disappeared and it was merely drizzling at that moment.

Her tears had finally stopped, and Mamori instinctively placed a palm on her chest, as she felt something strange stirring within her. But all she needed was to hear another gunshot before she grabbed her sword and quickly ran into the kindergarten.

oOo

Hiruma slammed into the blackboard, leaving a trail of blood on it as he slid down to his knees. Deep laughter echoed through the room as the Mamori look-alike sauntered forward, brandishing her now bloodied sword.

"I don't know why you're fighting me in this state," she said, as she cocked her head with a grin. "You're obviously running out of time in this world and it looks like you're close to leaving it too, and though you've shot me many times and have stopped me occasionally, you've yet to slow me down or destroy me in any way. I'm pretty sure you don't have the power to really kill me either. So why are you still trying?"

Hiruma looked at her and saw black holes riddled her body, though they did nothing to slow her down. Although Hiruma had found at least one temporary weakness in his attempt to figure her out, it had come at a high price as his body had begun to weaken. She had managed to slash at his limbs as his guns proved little defense when she succeeded in coming up close, and the wounds inflicted on him had restricted his movements even more.

There was only one thing left to do.

"I fucking told you," said Hiruma, his breathing slow though heavy. "I wanted answers."

"Here's an answer for you," said the girl as she bent, inching her face closer to Hiruma's. "Stop fighting all this. You know it would be much easier to succumb to the darkness and forget everything. You won't feel all this pain anymore when you're there, you won't feel a thing. You'd be safe, all the fears you've been experiencing for so long after the incident will be gone. So come..."

Her voice lulled Hiruma temporarily as he looked into her eyes. They were Mamori's eyes, and for a moment he could see the real Mamori in them, all her fears embodied within. The fake Mamori reached her hand out slowly to touch Hiruma's face, and he raised his arm to hold her...

BANG!

Using his other hand, Hiruma grabbed his gun and had shot her straight in the heart. She screamed, and like the many times he had shot her before, showed her true self in the form of a shadow, dark and beast-like before regaining her form. Her eyes flashed red in anger as she positioned her sword and rushed towards Hiruma, but he quickly evaded it with as much strength as he could muster and continued to shoot at her. With a few more shots, he watched as she finally burst into a weaker shadow form and rushed into the shadows.

Hiruma wasn't surprised as this had happened earlier, and Hiruma knew she was just regaining herself before attacking once more. At least he had this temporary break to pull himself together, but the more blood he lost, the harder it was to focus. This is where things get dangerous... Hiruma knew he had just one last chance.

"Why're you after her?" he finally asked, looking around the classroom where the shadows were. His blood was dripping on the floor... time was running up too quickly. "There was no sign of her ever becoming like this... where you could claim her."

"That's because you don't know her," a voice whispered in the air. "She hid it from you. She didn't want you to know how broken up she really was, how she felt like she was losing all hope and that nothing could save her."

"You're lying!" Hiruma cried out as he held his guns out, knowing she would appear soon. "She was fine, she knew everything would be all right! You did something to her, I know it!"

"Oh, it wasn't me..." the voice replied, though it sounded stronger now. "I didn't have to do anything. She already had all those feelings within her that all it took was someone whom I've already claimed as my own to have some link with her, and she was mine. That someone did this to her... and that's who I'm really after. Once I get her, the one that you love will be mine. So you might as well join her."

"What?" Hiruma dropped his guard as the meaning of what she'd just said hit him. "No... you don't mean that—!"

He heard her coming from behind a second too late, and he knew he couldn't dodge her. Still, he tried to sidestep away but felt her sword glance his side. He grimaced and tried to shoot her, but she easily stayed clear of his aim, rushing in at him while moving quickly from side to side, slashing his clothes and leaving long thin lines of blood across his skin. Hiruma knocked her sword away from himself with one of his guns, but in his exhaustion caught one of his hands on the blade, leaving a gash across the back of his hand.

It was an opportunity she pounced upon, knocking the gun out of his left hand. And Hiruma instinctively tightened his grip on the gun in his right hand, his knuckles whitening. She was pushing him into a corner with each stab towards him.

_Come on, just a little bit closer..._

As the Fake Mamori took a step back and looked down the point of her sword at him, Hiruma saw an opening to shoot her right in the head and quickly raised his gun to aim.

"HIRUMA!"

The familiarity of a voice he'd learnt to trust, and to love, over the years broke through his already weakening focus and without thinking; Hiruma averted his eyes to the door of the classroom...

And felt a hot piercing pain stab through his body.

He didn't have time to think. He saw Mamori standing at the door, her face frozen in a silent scream at the sight before her. He glanced at the fake Mamori, who wore a maniacal grin at her success. This was it. He had run out of time.

"Last chance," the fake Mamori whispered. "Come to me."

Hiruma wanted to laugh, but the blood building up in his throat made it hard to do so. He mustered the last of his strength to say "Fuck off," blood dribbling down his chin as he raised his gun quickly and shot her face multiple times.

She screamed once more and disappeared into the shadows. The sword disappeared along with her, leaving his gaping wound to bleed profusely.

"No..." Mamori was shaking all over as she watched Hiruma fall. "NOOO!"

She ran to him, and reached out to hold his back before he fell to the ground. "HIRUMA!" she screamed, as she fell with him and let him rest on her lap. His body felt lifeless, and she panicked when she noticed he wasn't moving. "Hiruma, no! This can't be happening! Why are you bleeding so much? Oh no..." She placed a hand on the gaping wound, panicking as more blood gushed out. Her eyes strayed at the rest of the wounds he had, and she choked on her sobs as she couldn't understand how this could have happened. "Y-you're just something my mind created, so why are you bleeding? I've never... not since I came here... I've never seen so much..."

"I lied..."

Mamori raised her panicked eyes from his wound to look at his face, now pale and sunken. "Hiru... ma?"

He used the last of his strength to open his eyes to look at her once more. She was terrified, and she couldn't stop shaking. He wanted so badly to touch her once more, to hold her and tell her so many things. But he could feel himself being pulled away. "I lied," he repeated. "I'm one of those waiting for you too."

"W-what are you saying?" Mamori felt her tears spilling again. She held him tighter to her, unwilling to let him go as she felt him barely breathing. "Hiruma, don't leave me! I still need you here! I'm scared!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he lost even the effort to keep his eyes open. He closed his eyes and slowly allowed himself to sink into the darkness, thinking and worrying for a moment of what Mamori was about to face. Yet he used the last of his breath to utter, "But I know you'll get through this. I believe in you... So damn it... come back to me...

Mamori."

And right before her eyes, Hiruma disappeared.

The blood, and even the bloodstains on her clothes and on the floor, everything disappeared. All that was left was Mamori, sitting on the cold floor, shocked, confused and unable to feel anything other than an emptiness that rang through her. Her eyes wandered over everything in her surroundings desperately looking for something her mind could grasp on to, wondering what was going on, who the other Mamori was and why did she hurt Hiruma...

Then she spotted the velveteen box where Hiruma had just laid.

She reached out a hand, at first to touch and then, instinctively, her fingers closed around it. And the scenery around her changed instantly. She was in a room she didn't recognise at first, but slowly memories that were repressed emerged. She had been here before! She tried to figure out who was her important person here with Cerberus until...

She heard a shuffling in the bed and Mamori stood up and turned to see two people were lying in it. One person was awake, and the other was still in a deep sleep. She recognized the person who was awake, looking older and gruffer than she had ever seen him. "Hiruma..." she found herself whispering.

The other person who was sleeping grumbled for a moment before peeking her familiar head out of the comforter. Then Mamori saw her shriek as she got up. "Oh no, I'm late!"

Hiruma quickly grabbed the long haired, older Mamori and pulled her back into the bed. "Relax, it's a Sunday."

"But breakfast...!" Older Mamori struggled. Hiruma merely hugged her and held her close.

"We'll just go out later, I'll pay," he said as Mamori squirmed in his arms. "Besides, I'm not done with last night," he grinned.

"Urgh, it's your fault I woke up this late!" Mamori playfully punched his chest, but Hiruma merely cackled in reply. "Really... I know it's rare for the both of us to have a day off at the same time, but wasn't that a bit overboard?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I think this is the perfect way to spend our free time together," he grinned.

Mamori watched as her older self pouted in disapproval, then she giggled and kissed Hiruma lightly on the lips. "Fine," she said. "I'll let you have it your way just for today. The next time we're free, you'll have to do what I say."

"And how will you make me spend that day, making cupcakes?"

"Really now, I am not that mean! I'll just be making creampuffs of course!"

"Damn it, woman," Hiruma drew his face closer to hers seductively. "I am NOT looking forward to that day of yours. So I better make this day worth my while."

"Don't start, you'll tire me out..." Older Mamori pulled away from his embrace and moved her head across the pillow when Mamori noticed her older self looked shocked and confused. Then watched as she reached a hand under the pillow...

And pulled out a velveteen box.

"Eh?" Older Mamori inspected the box. "What is this?"

"You know what it is," said Hiruma, wearing a different sort of grin on his face. A more gentle, happy expression the real Mamori found fascinating. "It's something I've been promising you for a long while. Took too fucking long, I admit. But don't start bitching about the quality and shit. I know you're not the type, but I have no idea how you'll be like at the idea of this and whether you do care about the quality..."

Older Mamori had turned her back on Hiruma, still holding on to the velveteen box as Hiruma spoke. She had continued to keep her back to him while he spoke so that Hiruma soon began to get nervous and scooted closer to her to see what she was doing...

To find that she was already wearing the ring. And she had the biggest smile real Mamori had ever seen. Content, Hiruma lied down, wrapping his arms around her waist and buried his face in her hair, both of them not saying a word as they sank into the moment. "So..." Hiruma finally said.

"So..." Older Mamori replied, still smiling brightly as she held her left hand out to look at the ring.

"I see you really like that."

"I like it... because of what it means."

"And do you know that meaning?"

Older Mamori closed her eyes and pulled her left hand to her chest. She placed her right palm on Hiruma's hand that held her waist gently and whispered, "Yes..."

Mamori felt a pain stab through her at that moment as she watched the scenery began to blur.

"We'll always be..."

"No," Mamori whispered, shaking her head as fresh tears poured down her face. "No..."

_"Together."_

Mamori fell to her knees as the scenery changed back to the classroom and the velveteen box lay on the floor in front of her as before. Mamori continued to shake, feeling as if her own heart was being stabbed over and over again. Hiruma was... Hiruma was...

With trembling hands, Mamori opened the velveteen box and found the ring with a simple studded diamond in it. She shivered as she pulled the ring out of the box and then placed it on her left ring finger. And instantly memories of Hiruma filled her mind. The player on the football field. The person at the party. In the pictures. It was all him. And then memories of Hiruma in this world, continuously supporting her, injuring himself in the process to save her, worrying over her to make sure she would return...

A rush of emotion swept through her. It was impossible to contain.

"You.. ichi..." her voice shook as she whispered his name.

And then she broke into a cold, terrifying scream as she felt the world around her begin to break.

* * *

**Extra Notes:** ... I think I'm going to get killed. I'm going to get killed, aren't I? *hides* It's all right! Everything will be all right! Everything is going to get explained in the next chapter, I promise! Everything will finally be revealed in the next one, in which if all goes well, will be pretty long. Eh? Release it NOW? I haven't… but I still have... *gets shot* OKAY! OKAY! I'll release the next chapter for this one as soon as possible! Thank you all for your continued support and do be patient with me! If all goes well, this will be up sooner rather than in a month's time. I'm totally excited to write what happens next. Are you excited to read it? :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes:** As promised, this chapter came out a lot faster than expected! But I have YOU, yes, YOU reading this right now to thank for making this possible. The amount of support in the form of favourites, hits and reviews this fic has been getting has been so encouraging, it made me write almost 10,000 words for this fic. Seriously, it's people like you that keep me writing! Thank you so so much!

I really wanted this chapter and the next one to be one whole chapter though, but after writing it all out and looking at how much had happened, this chapter is split into two as there's just too much happening for me to put it in all at once. So no, this fic will not end on Chapter 15. It will end on Chapter 16... or so I think. At this point, you're better off not trusting me with this, and err... be happy there's more to look forward to? XD I should warn you for now that this chapter and the next is going to be pretty heavy.

So much love to Elis who helped me out so much with this chapter, and is doing her best to work some issues out with me on the next chapter. That should be out next week if all goes well. Look out for it.

Until then, thank you for your continuous support!

* * *

The world breaking around her was beyond Mamori's control. There was too much pain, too much sadness, too much anger. This world, this entire setup, the loss of her memories had gone on for far too long... and it had come at the price of the one she loved dearly. She wanted it all gone, she wanted it all destroyed until nothing but the truth was left.

She continued to scream, feeling a part of her breaking with the world around her. She could feel a part of her changing, feeling the ends of her hair brush her shoulders and arms.

Gasping to breathe from all the screaming, she ran her fingers through her hair. It had grown long, and even without a mirror before her she knew she had gained the looks and stature of her older self.

She had finally returned to who she was meant to be.

Despite how much she wanted the world around her to disappear; the classroom remained. Outside the window was nothing but stark whiteness which seeped into the classroom, giving the scene a monochrome look of black and white. Mamori picked up her sword, knowing that the truth was hiding within the dark shadows, refusing to come out.

"Stop hiding from me!" Mamori cried out, her voice hoarse from the screaming. "I know you're there! Are you the reason why I'm like this?"

Soft laughter filled the room, mocking Mamori. "You didn't have to kill him!" she cried some more, looking around the classroom, desperate for a clue as to who this mystery person was. "He couldn't harm anyone in this world! There's no reason to kill him!"

Mamori felt the air around her shift, and she knew then something was coming. She turned in that direction and saw the other figure, sweeping towards her with its sword by its side.

Mamori raised hers to block the attack immediately, and then took a good look at the person that had taken Hiruma away from her.

It was her, or what Mamori deemed as nothing more than a shadow of her. With eyes many shades darker and a piercing gaze that caused cold fear to run through Mamori's body as she saw in those eyes a reflection of everything she ever feared. She pushed herself back with her sword, gasping in uncertainty at her darker self.

This shadow had also gained her older appearances now; her hair had grown longer than when she'd seen her in that brief moment before. She continued to smirk as she lowered her sword to take a good look at Mamori. "No reason to kill him?" she said, amused at Mamori's sudden fear and uncertainty. "Well, isn't that silly... he wasn't going to last anyway."

Mamori's shadow self moved forward again, this time she slashed down at Mamori a couple of times, unrelenting. Mamori blocked each one of them, taking more steps back. She knew she should return the attack somehow, but this shadow's existence confused her.

_Should she really try to kill it? Would that harm her instead? Would that solve everything? _

Mamori gritted her teeth as she planted her feet and exerted more strength into blocking the shadow's attack and pushing it away from herself instead. "What do you mean he wouldn't last?" said Mamori as she readied her stance for another attack. "What did you do to him?"

Her shadow-self laughed. It was a cold and cruel laughter that made Mamori's heart sink.

Something was wrong, and her ignorance wasn't helping her cause. "You humans are all the same," her shadow self said as she lifted her sword. Then she rushed towards Mamori, faster than before and slashed at Mamori repeatedly. Mamori did her best to block them all as the shadow continued, "You're always blaming ME for the situation that you're in! Stop and think for a moment! Whose fault is it really?"

The shadow changed her pattern of attack and swung from the side. While Mamori saw it coming, her parry wasn't as quick as it should be and she felt the blade glance her hip. With a sharp hiss of pain, she pushed the shadow's sword away and began her own attack on the shadow, which blocked them all with ease. "You still don't know, do you?" the shadow spoke up as Mamori struggled to land at least one blow on her. "Since you want to remember everything so much, how about I show you..."

As Mamori swung her sword downwards, a sudden flash of white light filled her vision and she gasped as she squeezed her eyes shut. In a brief second she saw herself in the hallway of the apartment she lived in, holding on to a phone nervously. "Pick up... pick up..." she heard herself say as the ringing continued. Then she let out an exasperated sigh as she put down the phone. She felt herself slump on the couch, gazing into a white ceiling and feeling a sharp pain in her chest.

_Why can't I reach you?_

The feeling of the air shifting jolted Mamori out of her short flashback as she quickly blocked her shadow's attack. The memory lingered in Mamori's mind causing her head to throb. "W-what was that?" She whispered as her shadow succeeded in landing another blow, on her arm this time, causing Mamori to lose her balance and fall to her knees.

Her shadow pointed her sword towards Mamori and grinned. "That's just a taste of everything you feared. Are you sure you want to remember it all? The pain will be worst than anything you've ever imagined..."

Mamori gritted her teeth and, using her sword as a crutch, got up and began attacking her shadow once more. The shadow deflected her blows with ease as Mamori struggled to keep herself together. "Still not convinced?" her shadow laughed, amused at Mamori's feeble attempts to fight. "Here, why don't I show you something that will make you stop this meaningless struggle against me...?"

No matter how much she tried to steel herself for whatever could come next, Mamori felt her heart stop the moment the flash of light appeared and she heard the words of a young child shouting at her...

_"I HATE YOU!"_

The image of the child was blurry to Mamori, but the words stung deep within her, causing her to freeze as more words poured out of the child.

_"You don't know anything about what I'm going through! You never had to experience what I'm going through! You're a liar, sensei! Stop trying to understand me!"_

This time, even though she knew her shadow was about to attack her, Mamori stayed motionless, unable to lift even a finger. So she felt the sharp, piercing blade cut through her shoulder, and though she stumbled, she felt her shadow's cold barely-there arm around her waist, supporting her and drawing her closer to itself. "That's right..." her shadow cackled as she brought her face down seductively towards Mamori's. "That feeling right there is the reason why you're in this place, why you lost your precious person, why you wanted so badly to disappear... do you remember it now?"

Mamori felt numb, unable to answer, unable to feel the pain or even the hot tears pouring down her face. The memory of the child and what had brought her here was still vague, but the feelings that came with it... the feelings of despair and pain filled her... and despite how much she tried to fight it, how much Hiruma had warned her against it, and the cries of her loved ones calling her to come back echoed in a distance, her feelings were drowning her.

She shouldn't be alive. The shadows should have taken her. This fight was futile. "That's right... remember that feeling, the reason why you're here to begin with... stop blaming me, stop blaming anyone. This is yours and yours alone..."

Mamori felt all energy drain from her. Everything around her turned darker... all that strength, all that hope, all that belief she'd built up... gone in a flash. Mamori couldn't even hold on to the memories that made her happy... she was left open, vulnerable...

_Broken..._

Her shadow placed a hand on Mamori's chest and she felt a burning sensation sear through her. "No one's protecting you now, girlie... you've lost!"

Mamori shut her eyes tight to shut out the pain and the shadow's terrible words, but against anything she could have imagined, the shadow's hand slid into her chest, as if she were insubstantial, and was now pulling something out of her. Mamori screamed at the sensation. It felt like half of her soul was being torn out and more flashes of memories filled her mind. The pain was unbearable; the desire to fall into the shadows grew stronger...

And then she did fall, crashing to the ground like a discarded doll. And slowly she could see the shadows creep around her, ready to take her back...

To where she belonged.

Mamori gasped, desperate to hold on to even the sensation of her tears, her pain... anything to at least keep her in this world for a little longer. This didn't make sense... after taking something from within her the shadow had lost interest in her. What was going on?

Mamori turned her head to see where her shadow had gone and tried to make sense of the scene before her through her blurry vision.

A child with long black hair held back with a large red bow on her head had her neck gripped by Mamori's shadow, her body dangling in the air. The child was still for a moment, then she began to swing her feet, opened her mouth slowly and cried, "Sensei!"

Mamori gasped, the child's voice ringing through her ears. It's her! The child she saw at the park with the Sakura trees, who cried out to her in the burning room, the one who had shouted at her just moments ago, crying out how much she hated her. "Maasa... chan?"

"S-sensei...!" Maasa began to cry, though she was so weak, she could not raise her arms. Instead, she focused on calling out to Mamori. "Don't listen to her sensei! I know I did this to you but you have to fight back!"

"Are you seriously trying to save her after what you did, little girl?" Mamori's shadow laughed as she pinned Maasa to the wall and allowed the shadows to take hold of her, tendrils of darkness inching over her body, swallowing her. "Have you forgotten you're the reason she's here in the first place?"

"Sensei, you don't deserve this!" Maasa cried, though her voice grew weaker. "I do! This is what I should go through... but sensei... you... you're so loved... you shouldn't..."

The shadow laughed, her voice growing deeper and cruel. "Your sensei is here because of you! She was here, desperate to show you that you can be loved, but instead, you showed her the path of loneliness, of despair! You're both trapped here now, you'll both fall into the shadows where you belong! Isn't this what you wanted, girl? To forget everything, all your pain, your sorrow!"

Mamori couldn't believe what she was hearing. So the reason why she had to go through all this pain, all this sadness... even having to witness the person she loved die... was because of her student?

The shadow sensed her feelings and turned to Mamori, and as it smiled, its face gave way to the monster that it truly was. "Yes, that's right..." it said, slowly walking towards Mamori. "This little girl you cared for so much brought you here! Brought you all this pain and sadness! This is why you wanted to forget, this is why you joined her in the world of darkness, where everything you've seen and known would sink into nothingness! So you might as well join her, for there's nothing else to live for. It's all over. It's all over!"

"Noooo!" Maasa tried to move, to pull herself away. "Sensei, it's not true! I saw it, sensei! I saw hope!"

The shadow quickly turned towards Maasa and laughed cruelly as the shadows continued to devour her. Mamori lay on the floor, sinking in to the shadows as well... but the more she heard Maasa screaming, the more her memories became clear to her...

_"Maasa-chan's parents are going through a divorce. It's pretty bad... both of her parents don't really want her. There's talk she'll be sent away to a boarding school next year once she graduates from Kindergarten."_

_"That's terrible... I'll go talk to her parents! There's got to be some way we can help out!"_

_"Anezaki-sensei, as much as I understand your concern, we've been told to stay out of it. If Maasa-chan wants to be alone... then we should let her…"_

"No..." Mamori whispered, watching the struggling child. "No, that's not right... Maasa-chan..."

Memories of herself sitting alone on her bed began to haunt her. Mamori remembered now, she was crying, her phone that she'd thrown across the room lay on the floor, broken. "Youichi, you liar!" she cried out at the time, although she knew it wasn't his fault. It was nobody else's fault. It was her own, for holing herself up like this, for being unable to reach out. She remembered the dull, heavy ache in her heart as she whispered the words, "Maybe I shouldn't be holding you back any longer…" through her sobs.

"That's right..." Mamori murmured, finally regaining some of her strength as everything slowly became clear to her. "That's why I reached out to you, Maasa-chan..." Mamori pulled her right arm out off the shadows. "I knew how you felt, I knew... how when you're sad and alone, it feels as if nobody can save you, nobody can understand you... And that's why I did my best to reach out to you... and I followed you here..."

Mamori stretched out her arm towards Maasa, who cried upon hearing Mamori's words. Mamori, despite the pain and sorrow eating her, smiled. "I saw a small part of myself in you... even though I knew I couldn't understand your pain fully, but I wanted so desperately to let you know…

That you weren't alone."

The sound of something clattering distracted Mamori. It slid towards her, within arm's reach, and for a moment she saw the silhouette of a familiar woman, whom she recognised as the one who had aided her when this world was initially created. But Mamori wasn't confused or lost anymore. She looked at the item and knew what to do.

_Everything's going to be all right, Youichi..._

The shadow saw this and rushed towards her as quickly as possible. But Mamori grabbed the gun from the floor and shot the shadow rapidly until it disappeared, screaming. "YOU WON'T ESCAPE! YOU CANNOT ESCAPE!"

Mamori raised her head to look at the shadows surrounding her, still holding her down and shot at them, loosening their grip until she was finally able to stand. The shadow screamed in anger, "You DARE to keep defying your fate!"

"You know nothing about my fate!"Mamori cried out as she put the gun down, back on the floor, and picked up her sword. "You're nothing but a dark creature feeding off my fear, my pain! You blame Maasa-chan for this situation when this is also partly my fault!"

"That girl deserves to disappear! To be forgotten! Even she knows it; this is the path she chose!"

"No! You didn't give her a choice! You made her believe this was the only choice! I know there are other options before us, and she's seen it with her own eyes! You cannot control us now!"

"You fool!" It regained its form before her eyes, a macabre mixture of her own features and the monster of darkness. Sword in hand, it rushed towards her and the sharp clink and screech of steel against steel filled the air. "You're choosing a path of pain! You will bear a burden that will crush you! You're better off forgetting... you are too weak!"

Mamori blocked each one of its blows, new found strength growing within her. "Yes, I'm weak. There will be times when the pain will make me forget everything that's important to me, and I may fall into this darkness once again... but everything I went through here, in this world has taught me one thing..."

Memories of her mother, her best friends, the Devil Bats, Sena... Youichi... filled her mind, firming her resolve.

"That I am not alone! That I am alive and that as long as I have the people I love with me, I can face anything!" Mamori finally took on an offensive stance and swung her sword repeatedly at the shadow. The tables were turned now; the shadow seemed to have lost its own strength and did its best to defend itself.

But in its confusion, Mamori saw an opening and quickly stabbed the shadow right through where its heart should be. There was a scream of agony and Mamori closed her eyes as flashes of light broke through. The scene slowly settled, and Mamori peered through to see the shadow had discarded its monstrous looks and regained Mamori's features instead. She looked calm with Mamori's sword still pierced through her. And then the shadow looked at her sadly, "You've chosen a path that is filled with pain. You will have moments where you will dream of nothing but regrets, your past will haunt you forever."

Mamori frowned, knowing these words would be true. She glanced at Maasa who had passed out, though the shadows had stopped consuming her. Then she looked back at the shadow and said, "That's true... but I will carry on living. If not for me, then for the people who love me. I cannot live a life of fear; I cannot hide away just because I'm weak. I have to keep marching on and grow stronger. So at least for now... I know I'll be all right."

"Then so be it." Beginning from her shadow self still impaled upon her sword, the scenery around her dispersed and disappeared, only to be left with a darkness that bore no threat to Mamori. A different scenery appeared before her, she was back in the classroom, but this time it was bustling with life, with her students playing with different toys, laughing and making funny noises to go with their toys... until the sound of something breaking came from the back of the room.

"I told you to leave me alone!" Mamori quickly looked to see Maasa, dressed in a simple orange summer dress and wearing a red ribbon in her long black hair, shouting at another girl with a ponytail and glasses, who was now in tears over a broken doll house.

"Maasa-chan!" Mamori saw a woman she recognised as Okiura Sayaka, her fellow teacher, running towards the scene. "Rina-chan! Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"MAASA-CHAN, I HATE YOU!" cried Rina, as she held on to Sayaka and cried her heart out. "I HATE YOU! GO AWAY!"

Maasa looked like she was about to burst into tears herself. But she took a deep breath and shouted back, "Fine! Hate me! I think you're all stupid anyway! I never liked any of you! I wish you'd all leave me alone!"

Maasa ran out of the classroom, all eyes on her, including another woman whom Mamori recognised instantly as her past self. "Wait, Maasa-chan!" Sayaka cried out but Rina held on to her. "Anezaki-sensei, please go see to Maasa-chan!"

"Right!" Her past self instantly replied and rushed off after Maasa. Mamori following suit as well, as her past self ran up a short flight of stairs that led to a door. Her past self turned the door knob, but found that it was locked. She knocked on the door, "Maasa-chan? Are you in there?"

"Go away!"

Her past self let out a sigh. "Maasa-chan, please come out. I'd really like to talk to you…"

"Shut up and go away!"

"Maasa-chan, please! I know you're hurt, I really want to help you-"

"I HATE YOU!"

Mamori saw her past self gape at the locked door, uncertain of what to do. "Maasa-chan…?"

"You don't know anything about what I'm going through! You never had to experience what I'm going through! You're a liar, sensei! Stop trying to understand me!"

Past Mamori opened her mouth, desperate to say something convincing… but she sighed instead, looking dejected and hurt so she turned around to head back to the classroom.

Sayaka was cleaning up the broken doll house by the time her past self returned. "Where is she?"

Past Mamori shook her head. "She's in the attic again. I tried to talk to her once more. I just know if I could reach out to her, I could help her... but she wouldn't listen to me. I'm so sorry..."

"Anezaki-sensei, it's all right... We should give her a moment to herself before we go look in on her again..." said Sayaka, shaking her head as she cleared up the rest of the doll house. "That girl's gone through so much already... it's just not right."

"I know," Past Mamori sighed as she smiled reluctantly at the children who were now drawing and colouring by themselves. She turned to Sayaka and whispered, "I received a call from Maasa-chan's mother telling me that no one's picking her up today, and that we will have to send her home alone as usual. It's not fair, it's just too much for her to take for today..."

"Anezaki-sensei, it's good that you care about Maasa-chan," Sayaka smiled as she placed a hand on Past Mamori's shoulder as assurance. "But maybe you shouldn't let this get to you too much. We'll both talk to her once classes are over, okay? We have time after all."

Mamori's past self nodded slowly, but soon regained her usual smile as she turned towards one of the students and offered to draw a cat for him, to which the boy responded with hesitation and the other students pointed out Anezaki-sensei's cat looked like a rat.

As all this commotion was going on, Mamori felt an urge to look behind her, so she turned to see Maasa in the attic, crying and sobbing to herself. "Mama, Papa, why..." she heard her cry. "It hurts…it hurts too much... No one can understand me… I want to disappear... No one will miss me... No one will care...

I should die..."

_Is that so...?_

Mamori gasped as a familiar dark voice spoke within the attic, but instead of taking any shape, all Mamori saw was a shadow facing Maasa, just a blob of darkness. _I can make this all go away... I can make you forget everything... It will be over soon enough..._

Maasa sniffled. "You can? You can make this pain go away?"

_Just let me in. Let me into your heart and everything that hurts you will go away. You will be safe. You will be free. You will feel nothing..._

Mamori cried out, desperate to stop Maasa but she knew there was nothing she could do. Maasa reached her hand out and at that moment, she felt the ground shake. An earthquake? There were screams of panic behind her. Mamori turned to see her classroom once more, with the children screaming and grabbing on to her past self and Sayaka.

The earthquake stopped as quickly as it came as Sayaka shouted, "We have to evacuate the building now! Kiyokazu-sensei!"

A young man with a long thin ponytail and glasses, whom Mamori recognized as Kiyokazu Fujimoto, quickly ran into the classroom and picked up two terrified children as her past self made a few of them hold hands and rushed them all out of the classroom. Sayaka also ushered the rest of the students out and they all stood at wide open garden as they waited to see if more earthquakes would occur.

Then Rina screamed, "SENSEI! THE BUILDING'S ON FIRE!"

Mamori gasped, feeling that cold fear rush through her body as she saw the top part of the building was on fire. When did that happen...? How...?

"MAASA-CHAN!" she heard herself scream as her past self ran into the building.

"OI! ANEZAKI!" Kiyokazu shouted at her but Sayaka held on to him.

"No, the children here need us! Call for emergency! We need an ambulance and a fire brigade!"

Mamori followed her memory into the building, and looked in horror at how the fire had spread so quickly. The children were screaming outside for her as the fire soon claimed the entrance. Past Mamori was coughing, finding it hard to breathe as smoke filled the entire building. "Maasa-chan!" her past self cried as she rushed up the stairs.

The door to the attic was still locked as past Mamori turned the door knob. "Maasa-chan!" Past Mamori cried out, knocking on the door desperately. "Maasa-chan, can you hear me? Open the door! Please!"

Past Mamori coughed some more, it was getting harder to breathe. Desperately, she slammed herself against the door, praying that the door was old and it would give way.

After five tries and what she was sure was due to the fire, the door broke and Past Mamori almost fell through it. She felt the fire singeing her clothes and her skin, but she moved forward, looking for Maasa. And found the girl, surrounded by fire, slumped on the floor...

Lifeless.

"MAASA-CHAN!" Mamori continued to watch as her past self cried out as she rushed to pick up the girl. But as she held on to Maasa, Past Mamori saw the darkness encircling the girl. "... What?"

_Let go of her... Leave her here..._

Past Mamori could hear the voice in her head. "W-what? N-no! I'm not leaving Maasa-chan!"

_She wants to die... Let her die..._

"NO! I won't let Maasa-chan die!"

_She doesn't want to live anymore... there's nothing left in this world for her..._

"You're lying! Everything's going to be all right, Maasa-chan! You're not alone!"

_... Then you will die with her._

Past Mamori gasped, her throat was burning from the amount of smoke she inhaled, her vision blurry as the fire came closer to her. Using all her strength, she pulled Maasa away from the darkness, but Mamori looked on, horrified to see remnants of the darkness stuck to the girl... and even on her past self, slowly growing and consuming her. Past Mamori dragged her feet forward, losing strength with each step. She almost stumbled as she carried Maasa down the stairs, Past Mamori could feel parts of her were on fire now. Her hair, her legs, her dress...

_As long as Maasa's safe... please let her be safe!_

Mamori could only watch as she saw her past self stumble through the entrance of the kindergarten, collapsing onto the ground with Maasa in her arms. The darkness was not visible anymore, but Mamori knew it was still around.

The children were panicking and screaming at the sight of their teacher partly on fire. "Fujimoto, hold the children back! Please!" Sayaka screamed as she rushed towards Past Mamori and Maasa.

Kiyokazu nodded as he hushed the screaming children, telling them to not panic and to stay where they were. But to Mamori's surprise, one boy, Tsu-chan, took a few steps back away from the children, his eyes filled with terror.

Sayaka quickly put out the fire that was still on Mamori with the cardigan that she wore and did her best to drag Past Mamori and Maasa away from the burning building. She quickly checked Mamori's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one, though faint. But as she checked on Maasa...

The horror on Sayaka's face echoed Mamori's at that moment. Somehow Mamori knew, she had known despite having passed out at that moment...

Maasa was already dead.

The sound of an ambulance rang through the air, and soon a fire brigade followed suit. Everything went by like a blur for Mamori as the reality of what had happened sank in. She watched as the medical aid had to forcefully pull Maasa away from her past self's grasp, despite her unconscious state. She watched as the medic tried to revive her, putting an oxygen mask on her face, placed her on a stretcher and brought her into the ambulance, but as for Maasa... Maasa...

... She was placed in a body bag.

Mamori couldn't breathe at that moment. The pain, the awful sadness and despair she had suppressed, the one that had spiraled her into the darkness, had emerged. She did all she could to not let the darkness consume her at that moment, but she knew her past self had already fallen. Her past self had already been taken.

Mamori cried out and fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as her sobs raked her body. She remembered now, the reason why she wanted to forget everything, her reason for disappearing. She couldn't save her student… the one who Mamori knew needed her the most. And the fact that someone important to her had slipped away just like that brought out so many different kinds of fears, her loneliness, her weaknesses…

_I really am so weak!_

"It's all right," a voice spoke behind her. "Everything's going to be all right."

Mamori turned to see who it could be, and despite her tear stained face and the sadness that consumed her, she couldn't help but feel relieved. "It's you…"


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes:** For this one, I really have to thank Elis for helping me point out some of the weaknesses this story has, as well as helping me try to work around them. I admit, I'm not that great a story teller but I'm glad that this fic is teaching me a lot on how to improve! And her support meant a lot to me for this chapter cause this pretty much concludes the major arc for this story... but not all! We still have one more chapter to go! Until then, thank you Elis, you're awesome!

Thank you again for all your feedback and support. It's a pretty lengthy chapter ahead so enjoy it! :)

* * *

Sakura smiled back at Mamori, glad to see that despite the horrible revelation Mamori had just witnessed, she could still keep herself together. "I'm glad to see that you're still here... It shows that you fell primarily because of the darkness that touched you," said Sakura as she approached Mamori and held her hand out. "Can you stand?"

Though she still felt nauseous, and her heart was terribly heavy, Mamori grasped Sakura's hand and pulled herself up. There was a sense of calmness radiating from Sakura that helped Mamori momentarily forget her pain. "Thank you..." said Mamori, "I don't know why but I feel like you've helped me a lot."

Sakura placed a hand on Mamori's shoulder and said, "It's not over yet... there are still a few more things you need to know. I know you have many questions, but I hope you can be a little more patient... I just need to know if you're ready."

Mamori opened her mouth uncertainly for a moment, Maasa's death still hanging over her. Then she said, "To be honest, I'm still scared... I honestly don't know how to live with myself knowing this happened and that I let myself be this way... But now I'm starting to see why I had to go through this long journey of remembering who I am, why I had to physically fight. It isn't solely about remembering me, recovering my memories… it's about remembering those who are important to me, because they are what made me who I am today. So... it's scary... but I'll face it all if it'll bring me back to those people."

Sakura couldn't help but smile warmly at these words. "Hiruma-san was right, you can definitely withstand this."

"Youichi? Wait-" Mamori reached out to grab Sakura but she disappeared, and the scenery changed to that of a hospital hallway; cold and white with many rooms.

Mamori walked around clueless as to what was going on for a moment, until she heard a woman break down in loud sobs from one of the rooms. Mamori saw that the door was open, so she peeked in and saw a couple holding each other tightly, the woman had long black hair and in her hands was a red ribbon.

Mamori took a few steps back, feeling her already-weary heart being stabbed some more. They were Maasa's parents...

"My baby!" the woman screamed, still crying into her estranged husband's arms. "Why did this happen to my baby?"

"Come on, honey, it's nobody's fault..." said her husband.

"No! No, it is! I did this to her!" the woman pulled away from her husband, but she was in so much pain, she keeled over and gasped to breathe from her sobs. "I couldn't stand looking at her because of you! I hated you so much... I hated what you were putting me through... and so I left her completely alone... I knew she was sad... I knew she was picking up on my feelings and how much I couldn't bear to see her, even though I didn't mean it... but I let her be..."

"Stop it!" Her husband began to cry. "Damn it, we're both so stupid!" But unable to come up with anything else to reassure them both, he held on to her some more and they both continued to cry.

Mamori couldn't watch anymore, so she walked away from the room and continued down the hallway. Her mind wandered on what she had just witnessed how so many things could have been prevented if everyone didn't run away from their problems.

_I can't run away from mine as well..._

The sound of pounding footsteps came from behind her, so Mamori turned to see who it was. That was when she saw Youichi, with Musashi and Yamato tailing behind him. While Youichi had always been good at keeping his expressions in control, Mamori knew when he was quiet, his real emotions showed. And so Mamori saw it, the deep fear and pain in his eyes as he rushed past her and into one of the rooms ahead.

Mamori quickly followed after him and saw that Youichi had just entered the room where her past self was in.

Mamori was surprised to see Sena and Suzuna were already in the room. "Hiruma-san!" Sena quickly got to his feet and approached him. "The doctor's here, he'll explain everything..."

Looking to the left, Mamori saw herself lying in bed, an oxygen mask on her face obscuring some of the light burns and bandages. The doctor was next to her, accompanied by a nurse who was checking on her pulse. The doctor looked at Hiruma and asked, "Are you family?"

"She's my fiancée," Youichi quickly replied, and the doctor escorted him out of the room. Mamori was about to follow him, but she heard Sena ask, "What about the NFL?"

She turned and saw Yamato shake his head. Mamori bit her lip and quickly left the room to be with Youichi. The doctor escorted him to a nearby room and sat behind a desk, but Youichi didn't bother to sit down. "How is she?" he asked abruptly.

The doctor looked through his papers once more and said, "Physically, she can pull through. She has second degree burns on her legs and arms but I'm sure we can keep it under control. Mentally though, I have some bad news..."

Mamori could see Youichi's shoulders stiffen at the words. "What is it?"

"Your fiancée is in a coma, she's not responding to any of the stimulants we've given her so far. We can only guess that she hit her head and suffered a concussion while rescuing the child as we did find bruises around her skull, but we're still running tests to be sure that this is the cause so..."

"Then get to work and find a way to fucking bring her back then," Youichi growled and left the room. The doctor called out to him to wait, but it was clear he didn't want to hear anymore and rushed back to Mamori's room.

Mamori watched him leave but walked instead of ran after him, her steps slowed even more as she heard noises from the room her past self was in. She heard murmurs of shock, Suzuna bursting into tears, but she couldn't look in and see more of their faces in pain. But when she finally did look in the room, the settings within it had changed. It was evening and Youichi was alone with her now, sitting by her bedside though he'd laid his head on the bed, sleeping. He wore different clothes but she could see he hadn't shaved in days.

Though she knew he couldn't hear her, she thread lightly. As she reached out a hand to stroke back his hair, she noticed he was sweating; his eyebrows were in a knot as he looked disturbed in his sleep. Mamori wanted to wake him up because he was beginning to look terrible, but Youichi suddenly gasped and woke up by himself. He instantly grabbed Past Mamori's hand as if he needed reassurance. "Shit..." he cursed out loud. "Shit, not again..."

"Mama, hurry!"

The sound of a young boy's voice echoed down the hallway. Mamori looked at the door and saw Tsu-chan rushing in. The boy was about to call his mother again, but stopped when he realised Youichi was there, glaring at him.

"Tsu-chan! I told you to wait! Your father can't catch up!" Mamori was surprised to see Sakura running in, wearing modern casual clothing with a bouquet of flowers in one hand. Sakura was also shocked to see Youichi there and quickly bowed low. "I'm so sorry for intruding! If you want, we can come back later!"

"But Mama!" Tsu-chan quickly protested.

"Tsu-chan, hush! I've never seen you act this way before!" Sakura quickly grabbed her son's hand.

"Wait," Youichi called out as he got up. "The kid's her student, right? You can come see her; I can just go out for a bit... I need the walk anyways." He made his way out of the room...

"Wait! You're sensei's important person, you have to know this!" Tsu-chan cried out.

"Tsu-chan, softly!" Sakura quietly scolded. "We're in a hospital!"

Youichi stopped in his tracks to look at Tsu-chan. "What do you mean?"

"Mama, tell him! You can sense it too, can't you!" Tsu-chan ran into his mother's arms and held on to her pleadingly. "If we don't hurry, sensei will be gone forever!"

At those words, Sakura quickly looked up and met Youichi's glare with a terrified, worried expression of her own. But he walked back into the room and closed the door. Then he softly asked, "There's something wrong with her, isn't it? It has nothing to do with her just bumping her head."

Sakura studied Youichi a little more as she held on to Tsu-chan. Then she noticed the ring Youichi was wearing on his left hand. "Are you her husband?"

Youichi raised his left hand and glanced at it too. "No, we're only engaged. But I wear this as a promise to her, as I had intended to leave the country... that I would come back for her…"

Sakura pressed her lips together then took a good look at Mamori still lying in bed. "So this means she did have happiness in her life, so why is she in this state?"

"I told you, mama!" Tsu-chan gripped a fistful of his mother's skirt tightly. "Maasa-chan did this to her, even though she didn't mean to! You have to save them both, mama, we're running out of time!"

"Maasa..." Youichi murmured. "The girl Mamori tried to save?"

Sakura looked at Mamori for a little longer as she wondered what she should do, then headed to the door, opened it and called out to her husband to take Tsu-chan and the flowers with him. Once Tsu-chan had left the room, she closed the door, turned to Youichi and asked, "May I know your name?"

"Hiruma Youichi."

"Hiruma-san, listen to me carefully and please do not be too startled. My name is Li Sakura, and I am a dream seer. I can predict the future when needed, but with this power entails the ability to use magic as well."

"So you're a fucking witch?"

Sakura cringed at his language, glad she'd made Tsu-chan leave, but carried on, "Not quite, but I can use such powers."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sakura glanced at Mamori, then back to Youichi. "Your fiancée, Anezaki Mamori, is trapped in a dark world that is slowly removing all her memories. This creature usually attacks those who are severely depressed and are suicidal-"

"Bullshit," Youichi quickly spoke up. "Mamori would never be-"

"Now's not the time for that," Sakura interrupted him, standing her ground. "Even I'm wondering how this happened, but according to my son, the girl Maasa could be the reason why Anezaki-san is in this state. But I cannot be sure. Right now, the best course of action is to save her from falling further. She's probably forgotten everything that's happened in the past 10 years or so at this point..."

Youichi glared at her for a moment, an obvious look of doubt etched across his face. Sakura waited for his reaction, but he only said, "Go on."

"... You believe me? If you're still unsure, I could..."

"I've been having dreams of Mamori every day since this happened," he said, his voice tinged with pain. "Always the same thing. The morning conversation we had before we left home for work, my regret over not talking to her about what was happening to her replayed before me... her being swallowed by this darkness, screaming in despair. And then... her begging me to kill her."

Sakura looked down sadly for a moment. "So it really is that..." She raised her head and continued, "The darkness is trying to spread into you too. If you're not careful, you could fall into a similar state. The girl Maasa seems to have already been taken, but there's still a chance to save Anezaki-san. But I have to warn you, it will not be easy..."

"What can I do?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "The only way to save her is for you to pull her out of this state. I can create a setting, a world that can make it easier for you to do so. If she has lost many of her memories, you will have to help her regain them before she can finally come back to this world. But..."

"But?"

"... There is a price."

Youichi narrowed his eyes. "You want money?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "When it comes to magic, money means very little. It has to be something of equivalence. I will pay for the creation of the world..."

"Why? Some kind of first customer discount?" he grinned sardonically.

Sakura flashed a small amused smile. "I, too, have my own sins to pay. But I cannot pay for you fully. There is still the payment of you entering this world with Anezaki-san in it. In the case that she has forgotten everything, you must not reveal yourself to her. If you do, you may disappear from that world instantly. I will ensure that she will regain no memory of you in the process, this is a safety measure. But this is a different world, one which you'll be seen as a stranger, an outsider, so you're not supposed to last there. You will be generally weak, so in order to fight with her, to continuously stay in that world without being removed, a heavy payment awaits you..."

"Well fucking say it then, we don't have time."

Sakura took a shaky breath, then said "... Your right arm."

Youichi's eyes widened at this. Even Mamori, who had been watching the whole thing, placed a hand over her mouth to keep her from gasping. "What?"

"... You're an athlete, aren't you?" Sakura looked away nervously. "Whatever game you play, it depends heavily on your right arm. That will be your price."

"Are you going to fucking cut off my arm?"

"No!" Sakura shook her head. "I can see you've had an injury in your past? As payment, that injury will never fully heal. You can never use your right arm in its full capacity. The pain could even come back through intervals and it will feel as if your whole body is on fire. That pain, that regret of never being able to play... is your payment for entrance."

Youichi was quiet for a moment, still looking doubtful. He turned to look at the injured Mamori, who lay still in her bed, unmoving. Mamori could tell he was still disturbed by his dream... "You magic users have a seriously fucked up way of balancing your accounts," he finally spoke up as he looked at Sakura. "But I'll take your fucking word for it."

Sakura nodded sadly. "There is also another price for you to pay..."

Mamori noticed Youichi shifted in his steps for a moment. "For what?"

"For Anezaki-san to return safely... and to ensure the darkness no longer has power over her soul. I cannot deny that this creature that holds on to her has every right to do so. She fell in willingly, and so she belongs to it now. You can fight, she can return... but there is a price to pay for that."

"Say it."

"Your memories of her."

Mamori froze, her eyes widened in horror at the revelation. "Are you saying... I'm going to forget everything about her?" asked Youichi, his voice shaking a little.

"I'm sorry," said Sakura, tears pooled in her eyes. "I really do not want this to happen to you or Anezaki-san. I know what it's like to forget someone important, how it hurts the other person so much it tears them apart. But a price must be paid so she can return safely. And your memories of her are what's needed to make sure she'll live..."

A silence hung open the room, no one moved an inch. Mamori could tell Youichi was thinking hard about this, his right hand rested on his left, rubbing the ring between his thumb and index finger. Sakura approached him slowly. "... Are you all right?"

"Fuck no, I'm not," Youichi growled. "I threw away my chance to play at the NFL, and now not only do I risk losing the chance to play, I'll lose all my memories of her too?"

Youichi paced across the room for a moment, upset by this turn of events. Then he approached the bed where Mamori laid and softly said, "But I hear Mamori's voice every fucking night... telling me to kill her. And I want to get to the bottom of it. I need to know if I... I'm the reason she..." He turned his back on Sakura but by doing so, he faced Mamori. She saw him taking deep breaths but his eyes were watery. "There was a time when I left Mamori for two years to go to America. It was a hard time for her because everyone was busy chasing their dreams. They left the city, left the country; everyone went their separate ways while Mamori stayed in the same place. Even her own mother was away on a short trip back to her hometown to help care for her ailing aunt, and it was at that moment Mamori felt helpless. She didn't know what to do... for a moment, this fear of being stuck, of losing people, of not being useful to anyone, of being a burden seized her and she cried alone almost every fucking day until I finally contacted her, and told her I was returning."

Mamori looked at Youichi, the memories of those nights where she cried herself to sleep returning. _Why can't I reach you...?_

Youichi sat by Mamori's bed and held her left hand. "I finally got the chance to fucking talk to her about it and I found out she was afraid she couldn't catch up with me, that I was better off leaving her behind because she was a burden. Though I fucking told her off, I knew it was hard for her too because even after I returned, I was busy chasing my dreams while she patiently waited for me. Fuck, she even had a smile and encouraging words for me every time I came home. So I proposed to her... I wanted to let her know I was never leaving her and that I needed her in my life, so I wore a ring myself. I wanted to assure her that we would be together eventually, everything will fall into place soon, she just had to be strong for now. And she was... I was so sure she was..."

Mamori closed her eyes as the memory of that morning before the Kindergarten incident replayed before her. She recalled Hiruma asking her if something was wrong, she remembered the note of concern in his voice. Most importantly, she remembered the words running through her mind… _I can't tell him, if I tell it to him today he might not sign that contract for the NFL, I'd just be a burden… _

Sakura nodded her understanding. "She may have gotten over it, but the thing about the darkness is it will bring back all these fears if she carried even a sliver of it. The girl Maasa may have brought out all those fears in her... of losing the people she loved. And that may be why she's-"

Youichi cut her off, a fire in his eyes that Mamori hadn't seen in a long while. "If having to do this the magical way is the only way to save her, then I'll fucking do it. If it doesn't work, I don't care if you're a woman with a husband and son, I'll fucking kill you."

Unfazed by his threat, Sakura's earlier expression of concern for him and Mamori didn't change. "I can only assure you that you can enter this world and try to save her. But everything still rests on Anezaki-san and what she wants... if she's still in despair over what has happened to her, she may not want to return. Especially if she knows you'll forget her..."

"She will," Youichi turned to her, grinning with assurance. "There's no fucking way she wouldn't be able to withstand this. I know she's a lot stronger than this. And if she's still the woman I know she is, then I'll definitely fall in love with her all over again."

"Youichi..." Mamori whispered, smiling despite her tears.

"Very well," said Sakura as she walked towards the door. "I will talk to my husband and make the necessary arrangements. There may not be much time, but as long as there's hope, we can try."

The scenery changed upon those words and Mamori found herself falling gently, being carried by a breeze downwards. It was dark, but she could hear the sound of gunshots in the distance, and a familiar voice saying, "Finally found you..."

_That's right_, Mamori thought. _Youichi gave me a second chance... but now he's going to forget me..._

Mamori held back a sob. She was so tired of crying, so tired of this pain, but she knew she would finally return to the real world, and she couldn't deny she was afraid of the troubled road before her. But another image appeared before her, and she gasped when she saw that it was Maasa floating before her, smiling serenely.

"Thank you, sensei!" said Maasa. "You protected me even in this scary world... Even though I didn't deserve it..."

"Don't say that!" Mamori cried. "You were my student, I knew you were in a lot of pain. How could I not try to save you? How could I not protect you? Yet even then I couldn't..."

"You're so kind, sensei," Maasa smiled. "You fell into the darkness because you wouldn't let me go, you didn't want me to fall. Because of that, you brought me into your world. I've seen such amazing kindness, such beautiful hope even through the darkest moments. I felt everything, your pain, your sadness, your happiness, your joy. I wish I had let you talk to me when I had the chance... I'm sorry for saying such terrible things to you."

"Oh, Maasa-chan..." Mamori wiped her tears as quickly as they fell. "I just wish you weren't gone..."

"I learnt something when I was here, sensei," Maasa giggled. "You're a really good teacher after all! I learnt that you never really disappear even after you're gone, as long as the people you love still think of you. And..." Maasa placed a hand on her heart. "Your important person taught me that making sacrifices for the people you love is worth it as long as you can see their smile again. So, Anezaki-sensei, I want you to smile... because trust me when I say the words that have pulled you through until the very end..."

Mamori was falling faster now, zooming down as Maasa stayed above... "Maasa-chan!"

_"Everything will be all right."_

oOo

Mamori gasped and then panted at the sudden sensation of being in her physical body. It felt heavy, hot and sweaty after everything that had happened. She blinked as it was dark in the room that she was in, slowly adjusting her eyes to a light at the end of her bed.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Sakura's familiar voice made Mamori relax for a moment, but soon the clouds in her mind drifted away, and she felt her heart racing. "W-where am I?" she quickly asked.

"You're in my house, the Li residence," said Sakura as she quickly grabbed a wet towel and placed it on Mamori's forehead. "Welcome back to the real world, Anezaki-san, it has been three months."

Mamori's vision was still blurry, but the urge to get up rose. "T-three months? It's been that long?"

Sakura nodded. "The timing in the dream world is different from that in real life. Everything drags on in the dream world, especially since it takes time for you to rebuild your world and your thoughts. It's been a long and strenuous journey, I know... but you've made it back, safe and sound."

This didn't calm Mamori down one bit. She quickly got up, the wet towel falling into her lap. "I need to see him! I need to see Youichi! He's alive, isn't he?"

Sakura was taken aback by Mamori's outburst. "You really should lie down, your body is still..."

"No, I need to see him, please!" Mamori pleaded, holding on to Sakura's sleeve. "I can't rest until I see he's all right!"

Hesitating, Sakura asked, "You do realise he may have forgotten about you?"

"It's fine. I don't care if he's forgotten about me. I just really need to see him," Mamori's voice quivered and her head drooped. "Please..."

Sakura sighed as she nodded and then helped Mamori up. Mamori's legs were still weak, so she stumbled onto the floor much to Sakura's alarm. But with a little assistance, Mamori stood on her feet and walked forward slowly. Once she was a little more confident with her steps, Sakura made Mamori put on a night robe and in the process, Mamori passed by a mirror and saw what she looked like.

After the fire, there was a visible scar near her right ear, and there were more scars on her legs and arms. Her hair had been cut above her shoulders, and Mamori remembered her hair catching fire as she carried Maasa out of the building. Despite her scarred and worn state, Mamori smiled.

Yes, she had finally returned.

Sakura ushered her out of the room and down a dimly lit hallway. They went down a flight of steps before reaching the room. "As Hiruma-san was quite seriously injured in that world, there could be something wrong with him physically... it's one of the side effects of being in that world and why I warned him to not get himself hurt. He was reckless at the end, but… it's all right, we should be able to treat it."

"But not his right arm?" Mamori asked, though she knew the answer.

"No, that was the price he paid to stay in that world for that long. It's amazing he could last though... with everything out to attack him too, I was worried he wouldn't make it. I suppose love can pull a person through the biggest obstacles."

Mamori frowned, worrying even more about Youichi until Sakura finally reached the room and opened the door cautiously. Her husband quickly came forward, "He's awake, but he hasn't fully regained consciousness by the looks of it... Wait," he noticed Mamori behind her. "... Are you sure?"

"It's all right, Syaoran," Sakura assured him. "We can mediate over things. She said she couldn't rest until she sees him."

Syaoran stared at Mamori for a moment longer before turning to Sakura and said, "His eyesight hasn't fully returned. I'm working on healing it right now, he should recover in the morning. But for now..." Syaoran opened the door wider and invited them in.

Mamori resisted the urge to run in, she walked in controlled steps until she saw Youichi, sitting up by the side of the bed, his elf ears twitching as he heard their voices. He looked so haggard and worn out, weak and sickly... Mamori felt tears well up her eyes again. "He took such a big toll in that world," said Syaoran. "For him to return and only have his eyesight removed momentarily is quite a miracle. He'll take a while to recover, but he'll live."

She took more steps towards him, still fighting the urge to rush towards him. Finally as she stood before him, Hiruma raised his head a little, acknowledging her presence. With a shaky breath, Mamori stooped down to look at him and said, "You may not remember me... but I wanted to thank you... for giving me this second chance. For reminding me that I am truly blessed and loved... But..."

She couldn't hold back her tears anymore, so she threw her arms around his neck and held him tightly as she cried bitterly. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry you had to go through this! I didn't mean to be so weak, I didn't mean to put a gap between us! I was so scared of being a burden to you! Of letting my fears keep you away from your dreams after what happened before! But I was still so weak, and now you'll never be able to chase those dreams anymore! I'm so sorry, Youichi! But please... please know I will never leave you... that even if you forget me, and throw those abusive words at me, call me Fucking Manager all over again and play stupid pranks and bets with me until I shout out how much I hate you… please know that I'll be here for you... I'll always, always love you..."

"... Let go of me."

Those cold words Youichi uttered shot through Mamori, the shock causing her tears to stop. She sniffled and nodded, accepting that this was bound to happen... that he would not want her near him initially and slowly pulled herself away from him.

Then she felt him grab her arm. She looked at his hand, then at him, confused by what was going on. "I told you to let go of me," he said. "I didn't tell you to go away."

Mamori choked and gaped at Youichi as his other hand reached out to brush her tears away. She could see his eyes were partly milky, blinding him. But she soon saw a tinge of green behind it, and watched as a smile reached those eyes. "I knew you'd fucking come back to me, Mamori."

Mamori let out a sob, unable to believe what she just heard. "Youichi... YOUICHI!" In a fit of relief and vexation over his little trick Mamori began hitting him lightly on his arm. "Youichi, how could you! You... you lied to me! You lied to me in that world, and now you think you can lie to me again!" she cried indignantly, half laughing and half crying.

"Ow!" Youichi grinned, flinching just a little. "Such a violent woman… you'll make me forget why I tried to save you. Couldn't fucking see you, Fucking Manager, so I-"

Mamori cut him off by wrapping her arms around him once more, pressing her lips against his, to which he fervently responded by holding on to her and bringing her closer to him to deepen the kiss.

Syaoran was surprised by this. He turned to Sakura to find his wife smiling quietly to herself. "I suppose you knew this would happen," he said.

Sakura giggled and placed a finger on her lips. "I'll explain it soon enough. Until then, let's leave them be." She took Syaoran's hand and left the two lovers alone in their room, where their long journey of battles and recovering what was lost finally ended.

* * *

**Extra Notes:** As mentioned before, there's still another chapter to go through as I'm pretty sure there's still a lot of questions left unanswered, especially with regards to Sakura. As a pre-warning, there will be spoilers for Tsubasa in the next chapter... so if you haven't read the conclusion, I'm going to warn you right now I WILL spoil it somehow. But if you're not that interested in Tsubasa, this spoiler should be okay... it's not a big revelation but it's interesting just the same. Do look out for it.

The last chapter will be up in a few weeks as I now wanna focus on other fics for a couple of weeks. Until then, I do hope this chapter was satisfying somehow... Let me know if you have ANY issues with Mamori/Hiruma's characterization and I'll do my best to clear it all up. As a note, Hiruma and Mamori are currently in their mid-Twenties in this fic, around 24-25.


	16. Chapter 16  END

**Notes:** This is it, everyone, the final chapter! It had taken me about one and a half years to complete this (please excuse the ridiculously long break I took in between) but I cannot tell you how happy I am to see this finally reach its end.

A gentle reminder that there are small bits of spoilers in the beginning as I focus on Sakura's side of the story. They're pretty vague, and you'll only get it if you read the manga, but other than that, it shouldn't give out too much that it would ruin your reading experience (I hope!). If it does, let me know and I'll make my warning clearer!

Until then, enjoy the final chapter of Remember!

* * *

"Yes... Yes, it's been settled. Thank you for all of your help," Sakura laughed softly as she held the phone receiver close to her. "You're right, we may be needing it soon. Thank you once again."

Looking rather content, Sakura placed the antique phone gently back in to its cradle and proceeded to walk out of the large Li Manor residence in Japan. While their real home was in Hong Kong, Sakura had moved to Japan upon seeing a dream that involved her son's fate that would someday lead him heading towards the lair of The Dimension Witch. It was an unavoidable fate, one which brought her fear once in a while as the future was filled with uncertainty.

Pushing hear fears out of the way, Sakura continued to make her way out. While the Li Manor in Hong Kong was more impressive, the sheer size of their residence in Japan never ceases to amaze her. Her husband, Li Syaoran admitted that the size of their home and the power the Li household has was intimidating. Having managed to bring in Anezaki Mamori despite obviously being hospitalised was a grand feat of its own that only the Li family could ever accomplish. But being born into the Li family was a privilege he vowed to never take for granted.

Stepping out of the manor, she headed towards the large Chinese garden, similar to the grand sight that can be found in the original Li Manor grounds. Orchids and peonies had been perfectly grown in place in the enclosed garden, and a small, calm lake littered with lotuses lay right in the middle, allowing a beautiful and traditional pavilion to stand tall and distinct. Near the pavilion, she could hear the sounds of her son shouting in rhythm along with her husband. She headed towards the small lake where she watched her husband and her son practicing sword stances and attacks, her son mimicking his father's moves. But the moment her son laid eyes on Sakura, he dropped his sword and ran excitedly towards her. "Mama!"

Sakura quickly bent down and embraced her son, "Good morning, Tsu-chan. Practicing hard, I see?"

Tsu-chan nodded his head vigorously. "Papa's teaching me a lot today!"

"Is that so? Are you tired?"

"A little bit, I woke up really early today..." Tsu-chan frowned a little, then he smiled brightly. "But I like it! It's fun because I'm with Papa!"

Syaoran approached them, shaking his head while chuckling. "He gets over excited sometimes and pushes himself in the process... but he learns quick. I'm proud of him."

Tsu-chan perked up, jumped out of his mother's arms and ran towards his father. "Really, papa? Do you really think so?"

"That's right," Syaoran patted his son's head. "Now head back in and take a bath. We'll have breakfast together after that and I can start teaching you more basics on martial arts."

Tsu-chan cheered loudly as he ran towards the manor. "Tsu-chan, be careful!" Sakura called out to him, but her words fell on deaf ears as the boy sped up instead. Sakura sighed, but she smiled contentedly to herself. "I'm glad that he's happy..."

Syaoran approached Sakura from behind and held her briefly. "Of course he is... he's our son after all." Syaoran kissed his wife's left temple, and then he held her hand as they both walked along the lake together. "How are those two?"

"They're fine," said Sakura. "They're still resting but Hiruma-san told me he could leave in the afternoon."

"That's a bit quick."

"I warned him about that, but he said he'd rather not waste time," Sakura smiled knowingly. "He has a lot planned after all, and he's regained most of his sight now. Are you sure you can still teach Tsu-chan? You didn't get to sleep at all throughout the night."

"Neither did you..." Syaoran looked at Sakura seriously. "Have you spoken to Yuuko-san?"

Sakura nodded. "There were some last minute changes to the prices being paid. But it seems Yuuko-san expected it all."

"As knowing as always," Syaoran commented. "But what were those changes?"

"It was Hiruma-san's payment for Anezaki-san's safe return," Sakura explained. "After meeting Anezaki-san for the last time in that dream world, Maasa-chan approached me. She wanted to strike a deal with me to ensure Anezaki-san's happiness the moment she returned to the real world."

"And that was?"

"In order to ensure Hiruma-san wouldn't forget her, in the end, Maasa-chan paid the price. And that was everybody's memories of her." Sakura suddenly felt light headed and stopped in her tracks, stumbling a little. Syaoran quickly supported her, obviously worried. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired..."

"Sakura..."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm fine. Anyway, I asked Maasa-chan if she was sure that was what she wanted. Once I grant that, there will be no trace of her left in this world, she would have ceased to exist. The fire that happened in the kindergarten is now nothing more than an old electrical wiring that went wrong during the earthquake. There were no casualties, no signs she was even in there. The worst part is that she would be condemned to stay in that world of darkness, unable to be reborn as her soul would be fully claimed by the darkness. But she said it was all right... that she wanted her teacher to be happy, to be free of the burden Maasa-chan herself had created."

"And so instead of Hiruma-san paying the price of Anezaki-san's return, it was Maasa-chan who paid for it instead." Syaoran led her to a nearby bench for Sakura to sit down and rest. "Was it all right for such a young soul to be condemned in that way?"

Sakura leaned against her husband, sighing. "I agree, it was harsh. I hazily remember this as a possible route, but I agreed in the end because I knew this was what Maasa-chan really wanted. She didn't want people mourning for her, especially since she felt as if her existence meant so little. She wanted her parents to be free as well to lead the lives that they wanted, without being held back over her lost presence. All in all, Maasa-chan thought it was the right thing to do. But..."

Syaoran watched Sakura's face gently turn towards his, smile back in place. "I also foresaw another possibility that came true..."

oOo

It had been a long night, and despite being exhausted from having her major work done, Sakura stayed up knowing it wasn't over just yet. She went into the kitchen and brewed herself a pot of herbal tea, then sitting by one of the tables near the dishes and cups, she poured a cup for herself and was drinking it slowly when Mamori walked in. "I'm sorry to disturb you..." said Mamori, looking rather worn out from the night's events.

"It's fine," Sakura smiled as she got up to get another teacup and proceeded to pour her some tea. "I had a feeling you would come see me."

Sakura passed the cup to her, which Mamori meekly accepted. "Then... you will know what this is about," said Mamori, staring into the cup as wisps of steam rose above it.

Sakura took another sip of her tea, a solemn look on her face. "I suppose I do," she replied. "How is Hiruma-san?"

"He's fine," Mamori looked up at Sakura, smiling a little. "He had a hard time letting me go, but he was clearly exhausted and needed more rest. Li-san is attending to him now, he told me you'd be here. I have a favour to ask of you..."

Sakura nodded. "I think I know what you're about to ask of me... you do realise what you're asking for could be hard on you..."

"I don't mind!" Mamori quickly replied. "I know it would be simple of me to just walk away right now, scot free of everything that has happened. But I don't think I can live with myself knowing that I've caused so much pain to others. There's still something that I can do, I know it... and I think you can help me with this."

"I might..." said Sakura. "What is it that you wish to be granted?"

"Hiruma-kun's right arm..." Mamori replied, her earnest, serious gaze locked on to Sakura's face. "I know that it was his payment to enter that dream world. He didn't want to say anything, but just now I could tell that his right arm was hurting him. I know that I can't ask of you to heal it fully, and it still won't ensure that he'll play American Football again, but I would like to bear half of the burden... if that is possible."

With a faint smile, Sakura replied, "It is possible... but it will not be an easy road for you."

"I'll take it," Mamori replied with determination.

Sakura nodded. "Hiruma-san's arm will never fully heal, you are right about that. But the pain he is going through now, you can bear that in his stead but only partially. He will still experience extreme pain the moment he over-exerts his arm... but instead of experiencing pain constantly as was the initial agreement, you will go through that instead. It'll always be there, a disturbing, aching feeling within your right arm... you could get used to it, but it will limit your movements a lot."

Mamori listened to every word intently, when something dawned in her mind. "Wait... that means there's a chance he could still play American Football?"

"He could, but it won't be an easy road for him," said Sakura. "It won't be an easy road for the both of you to be honest. But... if it's any comfort, you'll both be together."

Smiling a warm smile, Mamori nodded. "After everything we've been through, I don't think being apart is really possible. Still... even if there's that small chance that Youichi can play again if I take on this burden, then I will do it. I will pay that price."

"It's settled then-"

"There's still one more thing."

Taking another sip of tea, Sakura nodded at Mamori to carry on.

"Maasa-chan... is still stuck in that dark world, isn't she?"

Finishing her tea, Sakura put aside her cup and sighed. "Yes, she is."

Mamori bit her lip. "What do I have to pay to get her out of there?"

Sakura looked at Mamori with a worried expression. "Are you sure you want to take this on, too? Physical pain is one thing, but this will be..."

"Maasa-chan did something to ensure Youichi would remember me, didn't she?" Mamori blinked, holding back her tears. "I... won't ask. Not yet. Just tell me what I would have to take on to help her be free."

Sakura frowned, her brows knitted in worry. "In order for Hiruma-san to not pay for the price of your safe return, it was paid instead with everyone's memories of her. So now, no one remembers her... not her teachers, nor her friends... not even her parents. She doesn't exist in this world. She remains only in that dark world where no soul or sound can reach her."

Mamori rubbed her eyes, doing her best not to cry, as she was clearly exhausted from it. "T-then... what can I do?"

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed. "You... will be the one to remember her."

Mamori looked at Sakura, unable to hide her surprise. "... Eh?"

"It will not be easy... Maasa-chan made her existence cease to exist on purpose to keep people from suffering over her death. But in order for her to leave that dark world and move on, someone here must suffer for her and mourn her lost existence. This will mean nightmares over her death, Anezaki-san, moments where her darkest times will come and haunt you. Those dark feelings may come and threaten you again, ready to consume you the moment you let it in. There's a risk you could fall again..."

"No..."

Sakura looked up at Mamori curiously, a strong expression adorned the younger woman's face. "Anezaki-san?"

"No, I will not fall again," Mamori repeated with more determination. "I learnt something when I was in that world... I know how much pain and sadness is capable of consuming you. But I also learnt how I can overcome it. And that's through love... constant love, unwavering love, unselfish and always true. I was foolish to believe I had lost it... when in reality, it was always with me in abundance. So that's why I know I can take this on, Sakura-san..." Mamori smiled assuringly. "I will bear that burden if this would mean setting Maasa-chan free. Everything will be all right."

Sakura was shocked at first, her emerald eyes wide open at what Mamori had just said. Then she smiled and laughed an amused laugh to herself, leaving Mamori confused. Sakura shook her head as an apology, got up and then held Mamori in a warm embrace. "That's true, everything will be all right. You have experienced a darkness very few would have ever survived, so there is no doubt you can pull through this as well. So I must thank you for reminding me that no matter what burdens we may carry, or how dark the road before us may be, everything... everything will be all right."

Mamori was still a little confused by Sakura's reaction, but she nodded and hugged Sakura back. "Thank you..."

"Your wish shall be granted. So stay strong, Anezaki Mamori."

oOo

"Ah, that's right..." Syaoran smiled down at his wife. "Everything will be all right, especially with what we will have to face soon enough. Even if everything looks dark and troubled for us as we live in this paradox world, I promised you when he was born that I will protect you and our son, and I fully intend to stick to my word."

Sakura leaned her head against her husband's chest, enjoying the rhythm of his heartbeat and the calmness of their surroundings. "And I will be with you..." Sakura whispered. "No matter what future we will face, I will be with you, Syaoran...

And Tsubasa."

oOo

A woman with long black hair wearing a simple black dress looked at the papers she held in her hand, sighing to herself. Her face was filled with concern and sadness, and she wasn't holding back her tears. A gentle breeze caressed her for a moment, before a strong gust took her by surprise and a few of the papers flew from her hand. "Ah! No!" she cried out as she attempted to retrieve them.

The papers scattered around the pathway towards the building she was about to enter. As she did her best to gather them, another woman that had just emerged from the building quickly came forward to help pick her papers up, quietly getting them all before passing the sheaf back to her with a bright smile. "Here you go!"

The woman stared curiously at the person who had just helped her. She had short brown hair with blue eyes and there were burn scars near her ears. She was wearing a cream coloured dress that reached just around her knees, her legs were encased in white stockings paired with lovely white shoes. But she wore a black cardigan that covered her arms and her top torso. The woman's eyes wandered from the hand she received the papers from to the her left hand that held a bouquet of bright jasmine flowers.

And the woman couldn't help but notice the silver ring on her left hand as it glittered warmly under the sun. "Thank you..." the woman replied as she attempted to rearrange her papers.

"I'm sorry if I seem intrusive but I couldn't help but notice they were divorce papers." Her smile changed to a look of concern. "And you don't really look well. Are you sure you're all right?"

The woman realised that tears were still falling freely down her face. She quickly rubbed them away in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't apologise! Here!" With her free hand, she pulled out a tissue packet from her pocket and passed it to the woman. "They were giving these out for free. But I think you need it more than I do."

The woman wanted to decline, she really didn't want to accept these acts of kindness, especially since it felt like it was out of pity. But there was a warmth radiating from this woman, a happiness that seemed familiar. "You're very kind..." said the woman as she accepted the tissue packet.

"I also want to give you this..." She now pulled out a Jasmine flower from her bouquet and held it out to the woman.

"... Why?"

"It's a token of comfort from me," she replied. "I don't know what you're going through, but I can see that it is wearing you down. I just hope that this flower will help give you some form of comfort, a sweet memory perhaps of something you've lost long ago."

In normal cases, the woman would have thought she was insane. But the smell of jasmine caught the woman's attention and she instinctively reached out and took it from her. She drew the flower close, breathing the scent in and just like the brown-haired woman had said, it managed to soothe her worries for a moment. "It's strange but... you're right. It does feel comforting. I've always loved flowers, jasmine especially... That's why I knew if I ever had a daughter I'd call her Maasa..."

The woman stopped herself. Eyes wide at this thought. She could not remember when such a thought had crossed her mind... why had she planned a name for a daughter? Tears welled up in her eyes again. "Oh... that's so strange," she said. "I don't know why, but my heart suddenly felt very warm, it's like a joy I lost many years ago has returned."

"That's good," said the other woman. "It shows that there is still hope. I would have given you my whole bouquet if that would help you but..."

"Mamori!"

A blonde haired man in a tuxedo was standing on the other side of the road. He called out to the other woman, who quickly waved at him and did some strange hand signals before turning back to the woman with an apologetic smile. "I have to go. My husband is waiting for me." She blushed faintly at the mention of 'husband' and then she bowed respectfully before rushing towards her husband. The woman watched her with a bemused smile for a moment before shouting at her, "Congratulations and thank you so much!"

As Mamori bowed once more at her before holding on to her husband's arm, the woman looked at the papers in her hands one last time before pulling out her phone. She put the phone close to her ear as she walked into the building and said, "I need to see you... yes, it's about the divorce... No, I haven't signed the papers yet and I know you haven't too... Yes...

Let's talk this through properly."

"You sure took your fucking time, the Fucking Shorty and Skates aren't going to shut up when we get there," said Youichi, as Mamori held on to his right arm, looking rather proud of herself.

"I'm sorry I told you to wait... It was just a rare chance for me to settle something for a certain someone," Mamori smiled to herself. Despite having occasional nightmares about that certain someone, causing her pain at times, she realised it had also made her develop a certain connection with her. _Did you see that, Maasa-chan? Your mother still holds you deep in her heart even though she has forgotten you..._

While Youichi raised his eyebrow, he didn't comment further on the issue. "Keh, I'm sure it was worth wasting 5 fucking minutes over. If we're late, I'll blame you for it, Fucking Manager."

"Stop calling me that!" Mamori frowned. "Seriously, after all these years of being more than just a manager to you, I can't believe you're still sticking to that nickname!"

Youichi looked at Mamori for a moment before breaking into a grin. "You're right... you need a new nickname now that we've officially registered our marriage. How about..." he trailed off as he stared at Mamori who was now looking exasperated.

"Let me guess... Fucking Wife?" said Mamori, her tongue stumbling as she used a curse word. This made Youichi cackle loudly.

"Kekeke, you learn fast! I must say I'm still attached to Fucking Manager... even though you got me to finally say your name, that still finds a way to fucking slip into my mouth somehow."

Mamori shook her head, though she smiled contentedly to herself. The breeze was still blowing gently upon them, and the smell of jasmines filled the air as she held her bouquet close to her chest. The path forward had trees swaying gently along, inviting them forward. They had been down this path many times, but today it felt different as it would be the closest thing they would have to a wedding march. "I suppose even though we will be changing a lot from now on, some things will just always stay the same..." She temporarily released her hold on Hiruma to brush her hand through her short hair. It was a more stylish cut than the crop they had given her at the hospital but it also symbolised another significant moment in her life where she needed a change.

He kept his lips pressed together as he thought about her words carefully. "How is your arm? Are you sure you want to keep holding that?"

Mamori glanced down at the bouquet in her right hand. "It's throbbing but it doesn't hurt as much. I think I'll get used to it... doing chores with this would be a bit of a pain though," she mumbled to herself.

"Fuck that. If your arm starts hurting and you can't do chores, I'll get someone to do it for you."

"I will not let you blackmail people into doing my work! I told you I will bear with this myself and you know it. And stop worrying about me holding this! It's not heavy and at least I'll get to throw it later. I hope I can throw it well..."

Youichi grinned. "I can throw it for you. Give those fuckers a bit of a challenge."

"Stop that!" Mamori held on to his right arm a little more tightly. "Save your energy for a proper game."

"It's just fucking flowers."

"I still want you to be careful."

"And you wonder why I worry about you."

Mamori opened her mouth to retort, but realised what he meant. She couldn't help but laugh a little. "I guess until we get used to this, we'll be walking on egg shells a lot."

Youichi lifted his right hand and encased Mamori's in it, allowing himself to glance at the silver ring she had on her left hand for a moment before letting it hang at his side. "You didn't have to do that for me... I could've found some fucking way to still be involved with Football, even if I can't play."

"But I couldn't let you stop just like that, especially because of me..." Mamori glanced at him. "I want you to at least be in one NFL game. I don't care if you win or lose, I just want you to have that chance. So please... do your best, okay? But please be careful with your right arm because the pain you'll experience will be worse than what I'm going through... I know you're the type to push yourself, but there's nothing wrong with knowing your limits. I'm sure you can find a way to overcome this, and I'll be with you so..."

Youichi stopped in his tracks and pulled Mamori closer to him. He lifted Mamori's chin and gently covered her lips with his, giving her small kisses of affection at first before their mouths hungrily searched each other, hands tracing each others' outlines. The sensation of being able to feel each other like this made every moment a little more special than before...

Because it was a reminder that they were still together.

Mamori pulled away, looking flushed and a little embarrassed. "We have to get going... Sena and Suzuna are waiting for us."

Youichi didn't say anything, but merely grinned as he held her hand once more and they walked forward. "So have you decided what course you'd like to take?"

"Hmm..." Mamori responded, thinking deeply for a moment. It was hard to believe that she had to stop being a Kindergarten Teacher after years of working so hard for it. The idea of changing roads now felt ridiculous, but her right arm being constantly in pain made it impossible to do some of the strenuous tasks being a Kindergarten Teacher involved, which included carrying the children and doing more chores. Also… she knew the nightmares involving Maasa would happen mostly in a Kindergarten setting. Thus, it was obvious she would not be able to handle being in a Kindergarten anymore. It would be a constant reminder of the fact that she'd lost the chance to save a child's life. So for now… "I was thinking of child psychology, but I wonder if that's too heavy for me to take on part time."

"Keh, with your brains, it'd be a cinch," he grinned at her. "I'll help you search up on this more tomorrow. For now, it looks like we have company..."

Mamori wasn't expecting a big crowd when she approached the open party in the park. She had only been told that most of her friends and family would be there at the park to celebrate their wedding registration, as both Hiruma and Mamori didn't have the means for a proper wedding yet. But what greeted the both of them instead left them speechless for a moment.

It wasn't just Mamori's friends and family, it was practically every American Football player she had met and known throughout her time as a manager standing in the open park that was now beautifully decorated with white laces and flowers, tables and chairs all covered with white cloths. Mamori could only guess one person would consider decorating in such a way…

"They're here!" Suzuna squealed as she rushed up towards them. She wore a white, strapless dress and had a jasmine flower in her hair. She hugged Mamori excitedly, causing her to fall back a little. "What took you so long! I know me and Sena left earlier than you so we can get this ready but you took way too long!"

"I'm sorry!" Mamori laughed. "I got a little side-tracked on the way here. But... Suzuna-chan... what is this? I thought it was going to be a small party?"

"Well..." Sena walked up, looking a little bashful. "I told a couple of the guys to just pass the word and well... I think it's because of what happened recently and how it's Mamori-nee-chan's and Hiruma-senpai's wedding, I guess... Everyone was just really eager to see you both and welcome you back... I really didn't expect this though..."

Right where the party was, Mamori could see Kurita already eating happily at the buffet table, where the Ha-Ha brothers, particularly Kuroki, was having a massive fight with Komusubi over the food. Togano sat at one of the tables, head buried in a manga with Ako next to him, reading so intently over his shoulder their heads were nearly touching. Juumonji was talking to Sara and Yukimitsu, while a number of elite American Football players which included Panther, Clifford, Homer and even Watt gathered around other top Japanese Football players which included Akaba, Agon, Takami and Shin. Unsui was listening on with Karin by his side, the both of them occasionally sharing glances with each other. Monta, Mizumachi and Ikkyuu seemed to have challenged each other to an eating competition which made other fellow players like Sakuraba, Kakei and Kotarou and even other managers from other schools such as Wakana and Julie look on with amusement. Even Mamori's mother watched the scene before her, laughing. Musashi was talking to Banba, Gaou, Kid and Tetsuma though his eyes wandered to Youichi and Mamori for a moment, where he smiled at them and gave them a look that said, "Took you long enough."

Yamato soon realised Youichi and Mamori were there, so he walked up to them, flashing a big smile. "Congratulations to you both!" he said as he gave Mamori a quick hug and shook Youichi's hand. "I spoke to the officials in the NFL... it's a long shot before you can get in again, Hiruma, but I'll do my best to make sure you get accepted once more."

"You can fucking tell them that I definitely intend to come back and kill them all," Youichi grinned. "Fucking Dreads got in, hasn't he? Are you sure you guys want to be in Japan for something as simple as this?"

"It's not simple at all!" laughed Yamato. "It's a special day for all of us, because two people are back from the dead."

Yamato bowed and stretched out an arm to allow the couple to walk forward, the moment they walked down, everyone got up applauding and cheering. The familiar voices calling out her name accompanied by the many smiles on familiar faces made Mamori tear up. Hand in hand, both Youichi and Mamori walked towards the middle of the party where suddenly Suzuna cried out, "Kiss!"

"Eh?" Mamori cried out, but soon everyone echoed in with their reasons.

"Yeah! Kiss already!"

"If you're not going to have a proper wedding, we're allowed to have this!"

"We deserve this much since you left us for so long!"

"I don't know if we're allowed to demand such a thing..."

"Looks like we'll be seeing Hiruma being all lovey-dovey... I'm not sure if I like the sight of that."

"MUKYAAAA! I CAN'T WATCH!"

"Fucking trashes, you're all noisy! Just get this fucking done and over with!"

"Admit it, Agon, you sap! You want to see them kiss!"

"... Do you want to die?"

"Ahahaha! If you want, I can perform for today's special ceremony!"

"Get down already! You're not the main event!"

"Hiruma-kun! Mamori-chan! I'm so happy for you both! But I REALLY want to see you kiss!"

"Keh, they're all a bunch of lunatics," Youichi whispered into Mamori's ear, but he smiled seeing her laugh and rub her eyes.

"Yes, I'm afraid they are quite crazy," she said as she turned towards him, practically beaming with joy. "I must admit, it's insane that I know so many crazy people in this world and yet I could forget the happiness their presence gave me! And who would have guessed I would have married the craziest one of them all! The one who stuck to his crazy promise of never leaving me!"

"Well then..." Youichi cupped her face and drew it closer to his. "Sounds like you're the craziest of them all."

And with the mixed sounds of cheers and laughter in the background, Mamori drowned herself in that moment of happiness, surrounded by the people she loved and kissing the man who reminded her that this was possible.

While the horrors of the other world will continue to haunt her, Mamori knew she had found the strength to keep living on.

* * *

**Extra Notes:** First of all, I'd like to make it clear that the name Maasa uses two kanjis (茉麻), 茉 means Jasmine, and thus why Mamori uses it as her bouquet for that day. Also, I had a lot of issues with Sakura's part of the story as the manga made a lot of things unclear (such as whether Sakura lives in Japan or Hong Kong at this point), so if I made a mistake with this, I apologise and feel free to point out my error! Also, I can't believe I managed to squeeze in a bit of comedy at the end for this fic. So much for keeping it rather serious until the end! XD

I have to thank EVERYONE for their amazing support for this fic! Seriously, words cannot express how I adored the comments and reviews I received for Remember, and how each and every review, favourite and watch for this fic kept me going. While it seemed I was close to giving up on this fic, I'm glad that I picked it up again and saw it until the very end, because I got to see more amazing people supporting this fic and giving it so much love. This fic means a lot to me, and there's just no denying how all your support has brought this fic to see the end that I had envisioned two years ago. You guys are awesome! And I encourage you to keep spreading this love to other fic writers because it is people like you that keep us going!

I have to give an amazing shoutout to my best friend, Elis, for being there for me, for being my beta and for just being overall awesome in her support for this fic. Thank you so much, hun!

I actually have a one shot after the events you've just read here planned, but I'll make it a special bonus as I prepare to write down and share my thought processes, music that inspired me and scenes and concepts which I decided to cut out for various reasons. It isn't necessary to check it out, as I just want to put all this down at some point for me to look back and remember in the years to come. But if you're interested, I hope you all will look out for it! It'd probably take about a month or two though if things go as planned.

Until then *bows deeply*, I am truly humbled by my writing experience with this fic and I hope to do better with my other stories to come. Thank you again for your support and keep the HiruMamo love going!


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